Yes, unfortunately, U.S. citizens were killed in Israel as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip.
According to the National Security Council, nine U.S. citizens have died in the conflict as of Monday, October 9, 20231234.
However, the number of Americans missing or taken hostage by Hamas is still unknown4.
President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to the victims and their families, and said that the U.S. was working with Israel to obtain more information on the location of U.S. citizens who are still unaccounted for2.
The U.S. citizens who died in the conflict came from different backgrounds and had different reasons for being in Israel.
Some of them were Jewish immigrants who had moved to Israel to make it their home, while others were tourists, workers, or volunteers.
Some of them were also serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which is allowed for dual citizens2. Among the U.S. citizens who were killed were:
- Nathanial Young, 20, a former pupil at a Jewish school in London, who was serving in the IDF2.
- Dan Darlington, a photographer who was covering a music festival in Tel Aviv that was attacked by Hamas militants2.
- Jack Marlowe, a security guard who was working at the same music festival and has been reported missing2.
- Rodolfo Fabián Skariszewski, 56, from Córdoba in Argentina, who was killed while walking his dog near the Gaza border2.
- Abi Korin, who lived at a kibbutz near Gaza and was also killed by a rocket attack2.
The death toll of the conflict has risen above 1,200 people, including more than 800 Israelis and more than 400 Palestinians4.
The conflict started on October 6, 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented barrage of rockets and drones at Israel from Gaza, targeting major cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. Israel responded with airstrikes and ground operations to destroy Hamas’s infrastructure and weapons.
Hamas also infiltrated Israel through tunnels and carried out attacks on civilians and soldiers.
The international community has called for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but so far no agreement has been reached5.
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