Biden admin official John Kirby gets choked up discussing Hamas’ atrocities in Israel 

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby choked up while discussing brutal images out of Israel showing atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in the Jewish state.

The White House official was nearly at a loss for words Monday when asked by CNN host Jake Tapper about the images of children being kidnapped, women that have presumably been raped, and other “horrifying” scenes in the aftermath of Hamas’ Saturday invasion of the border between Gaza and Israel.

“I, uh, I — sorry. It’s very — excuse me,” Kirby, visibly shaken, said as he tried to compose himself. 

“It’s very difficult to look at these images, Jake, and the human cost. These are human beings. They’re family members, they’re friends, they’re loved ones, cousins, brothers, sisters. Yeah, it’s difficult and I apologize,” he added. 

“Nothing to say sorry for,” Tapper reassured the Biden administration official. 

Hamas’ surprise attack against Israel Saturday, which included rocket attacks and armed terrorists streaming across the border, has left over 700 Israelis dead and over 2,150 wounded. 

Some 100 people have reportedly been abducted from Israel and taken into Gaza where they are being held hostage. 

In addition to the 11 confirmed deaths of US citizens in Israel, Kirby said that “there are other American citizens who remain unaccounted for.”

“The US government is doing everything that we can to determine the whereabouts of these US citizens,” he said. “The president has directed his 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.”

“I can’t say definitively that we know that Americans are being held hostage,” Kirby added. “That said, we have to accept the grim possibility that some are.”

Kirby’s reaction Monday was similar to the time he became emotional when discussing the violent images emerging during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“It’s difficult to look at the … sorry … It’s difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking, serious, mature leader would do that,” Kirby said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “So, I can’t talk to his psychology, but I think we can all speak to his depravity.”