An elderly Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair was among the more than 100 people taken hostage by the Palestinian terror group Hamas this weekend, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.
The Palestinian assault on Israel was the worst in 50 years — since the Yom Kippur War in 1973 — and also vastly different, Blinken told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“There’s a fundamental difference. That [1973 conflict] was a war that was state to state, country to country, army to army,” Blinken said. “This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns, in their homes.”
Blinken then appeared to reference videos circulating online of an elderly woman in a wheelchair being taken by Hamas gunmen in the south of Israel.
“As we’ve seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children,” Blinken said.
“So you can imagine the impact this is having throughout Israel, and the world should be revolted at what it has seen,” he added.
Blinken also confirmed Sunday said the Biden administration believes multiple Americans have been killed in conflict still raging in Israel.
“Yes, we have reports that several Americans were killed. We’re working overtime to verify that,” Blinken told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans, and there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” he said.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer confirmed that Americans are among the “scores” of hostages taken by Hamas, according to an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Dermer declined to estimate the number of Americans captive but said the hostages include women, children and the elderly.
The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas unleashed a surprise attack and barrage of rockets into Israel coupled with a ground assault Saturday, killing upwards of 600 Israeli citizens and injuring well over 2,100 others.
At least 100 people have been taken hostage, and the death toll is expected to rise, officials have said.
Hamas terrorists were seen taking hostages from Israel and parading them down the street in horrifying videos that have been shared across social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Saturday that “we are at war” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report at least 300 Palestinians have been killed with 2,200 injured.
