By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - The US State Department said Sunday that 29 US nationals have been confirmed dead in attacks by the Palestinian Hamas group against Israel.
According to the US news portal Axios, the US was aware of 15 nationals and one permanent resident who were unaccounted for and was "working around the clock" to determine their whereabouts.
A State Department spokesperson said the US government is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence.
The exact count of Israeli prisoners and captives, including foreigners, who are currently held in Gaza remains vague.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Saturday the dispatch of a second group of aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean amid escalating tensions.
The White House said the Eisenhower carrier would be available to support deterrence in favor of Israel already undertaken by the strike group led by the US’ largest carrier, the USS Ford, already in the eastern Mediterranean.
Israeli forces, a week ago, launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began Oct. 7, when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel -- a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
That response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip within 24 hours.
More than 3,500 people have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict on Oct. 7, including 2,215 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar