More Than 100 Bodies Found in Israel Kibbutz

The death toll from the attack on southern Israel launched from Gaza early Saturday has risen to more than 900, according to Israeli media, including more than 100 people killed in the tiny farming community of Be'eri. The volunteer search and rescue organization ZAKA said it found the bodies Monday after a hostage standoff with gunmen ended, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Large teams cleared bodies all day from kibbutz Be'eri," the organization said. "There were weapons everywhere, grenades, and RPGs. We cleared 108 bodies and we are not done yet."

Josh Wander, the search and rescue group's international spokesperson, said they found the bodies of dozens of men, women, and children. The militants "just basically mowed down and murdered anyone that they found however they found them—in their cars and their houses," he said. Video reviewed by the Washington Post show that at least four Israelis taken prisoner in Be'eri early Saturday morning were shot dead soon after they were seen walking down a residential street with their hands tied behind their backs. The death toll in Be'eri is around 10% of its population, the AP reports.

Palestinian authorities say more than 680 people, including dozens of children, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes. President Biden said Tuesday that at least 11 American citizens were killed in the Hamas attack and others are unaccounted for. "In this moment of heartbreak, the American people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis," he said, per the Times of Israel. "We remember the pain of being attacked by terrorists at home, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have once more claimed innocent American lives." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)