Hamas’ assault on Israel propelled the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into another dark chapter. The assault has already claimed the lives of over 1,000 people. However, President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the number of American casualties has risen to 14, further highlighting how dire the situation has become.

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Biden acknowledged that more Americans had been killed during the fighting than previously thought.

Fourteen Americans have been killed in the fighting in Israel, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday, and he confirmed more are among those being held hostage by Hamas terrorists.

"We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas," Biden said. "I've directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts. Because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world."

Biden delivered remarks at the White House, which was lit up in blue and white on Monday evening in a show of support for Israel after Hamas launched a surprise air, sea and land incursion over the weekend.

Israel since declared a state of alert for war and has been sending retaliatory airstrikes to Gaza. The number of people killed on both sides is mounting.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan addressed the taking of Americans as hostages during another press briefing.

ABC News has not confirmed that total number of civilians killed in Israel, though it was repeated by national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the daily White House briefing. Sullivan said the administration did not have the exact number of Americans being held hostage but said 20 or more are considered "missing."

"We do not know about their condition, and we cannot confirm a precise number of American citizens," Sullivan said.

"We will work hour by hour, both to determine whether we can account for any of those Americans, or to confirm exactly what the number of Americans are being held hostage and we will come back too with that information as soon as we have it," Sullivan added.

While there are no solid details regarding a potential rescue effort for Americans in Israel, there are indications that there might be plans in the works. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby affirmed that the White House would be working to rescue American hostages, noting that the administration takes “the safety and security of Americans overseas very, very seriously.”

Some have suggested that the Biden administration should deploy special forces and FBI hostage rescue teams to get American hostages out of Hamas’ hands.

“We have hostage rescue teams in our special forces. They need to be shipped immediately, to get on those C-17s and C-5s, and fly to Israel to prepare to rescue these American citizens,” former national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on Fox. “We ought to have the FBI hostage rescue team also deployed to Israel.”

The latest developments reveal just how much the crisis has worsened since the initial attack on Saturday. Hamas's actions have not only destroyed Israeli and American lives; they have also brought about horrific consequences for Palestinian civilians who have been caught in the crossfire when Israel was forced to retaliate.

At this point, it is not clear when this current war will end. But it is evident that many more will suffer before this is over.