(NewsNation) — As violence rages on in Israel, President Joe Biden attended a roundtable with Jewish community leaders Wednesday in Washington. The president promised the U.S. is “working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel.”
Besides deploying experts to advise in hostage recovery efforts, Biden did not provide specifics about what the U.S. is doing to help those taken captive.
“If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home. Folks, there’s a lot we’re doing,” Biden said.
Biden confirmed earlier this week that U.S. citizens are among the estimated 150 hostages captured by Hamas. The National Security Council said 17 U.S. citizens are currently unaccounted for, but the exact number of American hostages is unknown at this time.
The president said he has been on the phone around the clock with Israeli leaders and said the U.S. is sending ammunition to the Israeli Defense Force along with previously moving an American carrier fleet to the eastern Mediterranean in a show of solidarity. A second aircraft carrier is also expected to leave Virginia in the coming days.
“My commitment to Israel’s security and the safety of Jewish people is unshakeable. The United States has Israel’s back,” Biden said.
Biden told Jewish community leaders he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday.
Biden described the attack by Hamas as a “campaign of pure cruelty” against Jewish people and later added, “It matters that Americans see what’s happening. I mean, I’ve been doing this a long time. I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.”
The president said even though he’s been referred to as an optimist, he thinks “we can change the Middle East.”
“If we stay true to our values, pursue with every inch and every bit of our energy to get this right, we can bury this again and bring people back, bring people home, and bring it together,” Biden said.
According to the State Department, the number of Americans who have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict is now at 22. The Associated Press reports that at least 2,200 people on both sides have been killed so far.
Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. Israel formally declared war Sunday.