Dozens of Americans have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas and others remain missing amid the ongoing violence, according to the U.S. State Department.
Saturday marked one week since the Hamas terrorist group launched a vicious attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, kick-starting a war that has left more than 4,000 dead, including at least 1,400 Israeli soldiers and civilians.
According to a State Department spokesperson, at least 30 U.S. citizens are known to have died in Israel and another 13 remained missing as of Monday morning. The missing Americans are among at least 199 others, including men, women, children and the elderly, who were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to the Israeli government.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected. At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted-for,” the State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “State Department personnel have been in contact with their families. The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts.”
“Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have nothing further to share,” the statement added.
U.S. officials have not shared the identities of the 30 Americans killed in Israel, but several family members have confirmed the deaths, including family members from Chicago, a nurse and her parents from California, and a college student from New York.
Who is among the deceased?
At least 30 Americans have been killed in Israel, including a student who recently received a doctorate and a 20-year-old who enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).Â
Ilan Troen, a professor who lives in Israel, said during a televised interview last week that his daughter, Deborah Martias, and her husband, who was not identified, were both killed when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and attacked the communities surrounding the Gaza border.
Troen said he was on the phone with his daughter, who was born in Boone County, Missouri, when the terrorists made their way to Kibbutz Holit, where his daughter and son-in-law were living. He said he heard the terrorists breaking into the home and heard gunshots.
The professor said their 16-year-old son was shot but survived the attack after hiding for several hours.
Kibbutz Holit is located about a mile from the Gaza border.
American student Hayim Katsman has been identified as another victim of the Hamas violence after terrorists entered his home on Kibbutz Holit and shot him dead in a closet, where he was hiding, according to his family.
Noy Katsman, a sibling of Dr. Hayim Katsman, told Fox News that he heard about the Hamas insurgency and texted his brother asking if he was OK. Hayim responded on Saturday morning, saying that he heard terrorists invading the kibbutz but he was all right. Hours later, the family learned that he was shot and killed.
Katsman was living in Israel after he received his doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Eyal Glisko, a North Jersey native, confirmed his cousin, 20-year-old Itay Glisko, an Israeli American serving in the IDF, was killed while fighting in Israel, according to the Daily Beast.
Itay, who lived in Paramus, was an “amazing kid” who was “loved by everybody” and who “fought with courage to the end,” another relative, Glisko Kaufman, told the outlet.
“He was doing his duty, that’s it,” Eyal added.
The 20-year-old was born in New Jersey before his family moved to Israel. Once he turned 18, he joined the IDF for mandatory service. He was two years into the three-year requirement.
Ran Ben-Senior said her cousin, Daniel Ben-Senior, 34, was shot and killed as she was attending the music festival, where Hamas terrorists killed at least 260 civilians, according to the New York Times.
According to Ran, her cousin was initially believed to be among the missing but Israeli officials notified the family that she had been killed.
Who is still missing in Israel?
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There are at least 14 missing Americans, including some who are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas, the terror group that governs Gaza.
Rabbi Meir Hecht said two members of the Raanan family, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, 18, are missing after they traveled to Nahal Oz to visit relatives for Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday.
Omer Neutra, an Israeli American citizen born in New York, was captured by Hamas along the Israel-Gaza border on Oct. 10 while serving in the IDF, his family said.
The 21-year-old college student joined the IDF after war broke out between Israel and Gaza last weekend, according to a statement from his family.
“He’s a born leader and a great son, friend, and a passionate, giving person. After graduating high school, he decided to defer his college acceptance and spend a gap year in Israel connecting with our family’s roots,” Neutra’s parents Ronen and Orna Neutra said in a statement posted to Facebook by the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department.
“This experience impacted his decision to stay in Israel and do what he believed in – serving and protecting the people of Israel,” the statement added.
His family said they have not heard from him since he joined the war.
On Oct. 11, New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with Neutra’s parents.
“The war hits home. Ronen and Orna of Long Island are waiting news on their son Omer, who was kidnapped by Hamas this weekend,” the mayor said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This fight is our fight. It just is. We #StandWithIsrael. And we must bring every hostage home.”
Four Israeli American families held a news conference last week, where they revealed a family member who was being held hostage in the Israel-Hamas war.
Ruby Chen, the father of missing American, 19-year-old Itay Chen, has demanded the White House do more to find his son, who was serving in the IDF when he went missing last week.
source: foxnews.com/remembering-us-victims-killed-missing-israeli-hamas-war
