Hours after the White House called a pre-noon "lid" for the day on Monday despite a growing number of American citizens confirmed dead in Hamas' attack on Israel, the administration finally published a statement attributed to President Joe Biden on "American Citizens Impacted in Israel."
The president confirmed "that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed—many of whom made a second home in Israel," without mentioning the party responsible for the deadly attacks, Hamas.
Biden also claimed — despite leaving countless Americans behind in a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan — that the "safety of American citizens—whether at home or abroad—is my top priority as President" before making his only reference to Hamas in the seven-paragraph statement. "While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas," Biden said.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli officials said there were American citizens among the hostages dragged back to the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists.
"I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts," Biden said of his administration's work to get U.S. citizens home safely.
Biden emphasized that what is happening to Israel "is not some distant tragedy" and recognized the attack and its effects are "personal for so many American families who are feeling the pain of this attack as well as the scars inflicted through millennia of antisemitism and persecution of Jewish people."
"In cities across the country, police departments have stepped up security around centers of Jewish life, and the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal law enforcement partners are closely monitoring for any domestic threats in connection with the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel," Biden added.
President Biden also reiterated that the "United States and the State of Israel are inseparable partners, and I affirmed to Prime Minister Netanyahu again when we spoke yesterday that the United States will continue to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people."
During the hours between the White House's lid and Biden's eventual comments, the White House took more incoming criticism over a missing-in-action president while statements were issued by mid-level staffers and there was no press briefing from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre or her frequent guest from the National Security Council, John Kirby.