With the world still reeling from the hundreds of lives lost due to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, the Biden administration has faced criticism for its tepid response to the tragic violence. Indeed, when news reports surfaced showing that Americans had been killed during the fighting, the nation expected a quick response from President Joe Biden.

Yet, it took Biden until the late afternoon on Monday to make a statement.

First, White House staffers released a statement acknowledging that “at least nine Americans have lost their lives in these brutal terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.” The statement also lashed out at Republicans for criticizing the Biden administration, singling out Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel for looking at “this loss of life and pain” as  a “great opportunity.”

Still, there had been no word from the president himself until he finally got around to saying something about the matter in the afternoon. “It’s heart-wrenching. These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence,” he said, also affirming that his “heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days.”

Biden continued:

The safety of American citizens—whether at home or abroad—is my top priority as President. While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas. I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.

For American citizens who are currently in Israel, the State Department is providing consular assistance as well as updated security alerts. For those who desire to leave, commercial flights and ground options are still available. Please also take sensible precautions in the days ahead and follow the guidance of local authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave another address earlier today in which he issued a strong rebuke to Hamas. “What we will do to our enemy in the next few days will echo for generations,” he intoned.

Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.

The savage attacks that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis are mindboggling: slaughtering families in their homes, massacring hundreds of young people at an outdoor festival, kidnapping scores of women, children and elderly, even Holocaust survivors.

Hamas terrorists bound, burned and executed children. They are savages.

Hamas is ISIS. And just as the forces of civilization united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.

Hamas, after being battered by Israel’s counteroffensive, indicated that it would be open to calling a truce. This comes just after one of its leaders threatened to start executing the hostages it took during its initial assault.

But why would it have taken so long for President Biden to say something about the loss of American lives to a terrorist organization? When our people are senselessly murdered by terrorists, most are looking to the president to react swiftly. Yet, there was little more than complete silence coming from Biden, who called a lid before 12 p.m. on Monday. It raises an important question: If there hadn’t been so much criticism, how much longer would it have taken for the president to address the matter?