9 Americans die in Hamas-Israel violence,…

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9 Americans die in Hamas-Israel violence, unclear if any are New Yorkers; NY

politicians react to attacks

Amir Levy/Getty Images

An Israeli fire fighter walks through the aftermath of burned cars after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit Ashdod on October 9, 2023 in Ashdod Israel. (Photo by
Amir Levy/Getty Images)

By Tim Balk | tbalk@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News

PUBLISHED: October 9, 2023 at 12:07 p.m. | UPDATED: October 9, 2023 at 2:42 p.m.

At least nine Americans have died in bloody violence between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. official said
Monday, the third day since Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack in Israel.

Matt Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said Monday morning that an unspecified number of
Americans remained unaccounted for in Israel, and that America was working to determine the tally.

The identities of the dead Americans were not immediately released, and it was unclear if any were
from New York, which is home to about 1.6 million Jews.

“We can confirm that there are nine American citizens who have lost their lives as a result of these
horrific attacks,” Miller told MSNBC “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

A firefighter douses a car hit by a rocket fired from Gaza, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, on October 9, 2023. (Photo by JACK
GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department said it was in contact with the families of the dead Americans. More than 1,200
people have already been reported dead in the conflict, which was escalating Monday as Israel
ordered a retaliatory assault on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

At least 700 people have died in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The Palestinian death
toll was 560, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday.

Major airlines have canceled flights into and out of Israel.

Smoke rises after an Israeli bombardment on October 9, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat who represents much of central and eastern Queens, wrote a letter to
the State Department asking it to “use all resources at its disposal” to help Americans in Israel return
to the U.S. A spokesman for Meng, Jordan Goldes, said a “handful” of Meng’s constituents were in
Israel.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat, said in a statement late Sunday night
that he had been briefed on the rising American death tally — then four — and that it would rise.

“The viciousness and brutality of this unprecedented attack from Hamas targeting innocent civilians
— children, families, seniors — is overwhelming and heart wrenching,” added Schumer, who is Jewish
and is currently on a trip to China.

AP Photo/Andy Wong
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Monday, Oct.
9, 2023. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Schumer, the majority leader, met with China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday and urged China to
stand with the U.S. in a united front in support of Israel, Schumer’s office said. Schumer’s spokesman,
Angelo Roefaro, said the majority leader convinced Xi to strengthen a statement opposing violence
against civilians in Israel.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy open to returning as House Speaker amid Israel war

New York City is home to the largest Jewish population of any city on the globe. It also has a
significantly smaller Palestinian population; the exact size is not clear, but could number in the tens of
thousands.

Women react on the street where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit Ashdod on October 9, 2023 in Ashdod, Israel. (Photo by
Amir Levy/Getty Images)

One New York City congressman, Dan Goldman, was in Israel when the fighting began, having made a
trip for a family Bar Mitzvah, his office said.

Goldman and his family “sheltered from Hamas rocket fire in their hotel’s interior stairwell until early
Sunday morning,” his spokesman, Simone Kanter, said in a statement.

Goldman, who represents lower Manhattan and sections of Brooklyn, returned to New York City on
Sunday afternoon, Kanter said.

PHOTOS: More than 1,000 dead in war between Israel and Hamas

Inresponse to the attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military struck more than 1,200 targets in the Gaza Strip
between Saturday and Monday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces The IDF said it hit .

another 1,200 targets on Monday.

A man looks at a scene of burned cars after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in a street on October 9, 2023 in Ashdod,
Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

“What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of
Israel told mayors of border towns, according to the BBC. “We are going to change the Middle East.”

Israeli officials announces a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, area home to more than 2M
Palestinians

Some Israelis have been taken hostage by Hamas militants, according to Israel. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said Sunday that the U.S. was working to determine if any Americans had been taken
hostage.

Hundreds fill Times Square for rival protests over violence in Israel

“We’ve seen reports about hostages,” he told NBC News, referring to Americans. “We’re very actively
trying to verify them and nail that down.”

With Joseph Wilkinson

2023 October 9

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