Israel-Hamas War Day 5: American Death Toll Rises, Netanyahu Vows All Terrorists Will Die, Horror at Kibbutz

The number of American citizens killed by Hamas rose to 22 on Wednesday as President Joe Biden warned Iran to "be careful" and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a unity government to oversee a planned assault on the Gaza Strip.

Hamas rockets continued to rain down on Israel, including a direct strike on the children's wing of a hospital, as new atrocities emerged and tensions remained high on Day 5 of the fighting sparked by the terror group's devastating surprise invasion.

Hamas-controlled Gaza, which has been cut off from food, water and fuel by an Israeli siege, also lost its sole source of electricity when the territory's power plant ran dry.

As of Wednesday, at least 1,200 people had been confirmed dead and 2,700 wounded in Israel, with roughly 150 more taken hostage by Hamas.

Another 1,050 people have been killed and 5,100 people injured in Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

American death toll in Israel rises to 22

At least 22 Americans have now been confirmed dead in Israel, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

"At this time, we can confirm the deaths of at least 22 U.S. citizens," a State Department spokesperson told CBS. "We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected."

Some 17 Americans remain unaccounted for.

'Be careful'

At the White House, where he met with Jewish leaders, Biden called out Iran, which backs Hamas and which Security Adviser Jake Sullivan accused Tuesday of being "complicit in this attack in broad sense."

Biden noted that the U.S. had sent ammunition to Israel, as well as interceptors for its "Iron Dome" missile defense system.

"And we moved the U.S. carrier fleet to the eastern Mediterranean, we're sending more fighter jets there into that region and made it clear, made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful," he said.

Biden also called the attack on Israel “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust" and got emotional as he recalled taking each of his kids to the former Dachau concentration camp in Germany when they turned 14.

"I wanted them to see!" he shouted as he slammed his hand down.

"That you could not not know what was going on."

'Every Hamas operative will die'

During an appearance with opposition leader Benny Gantz to announce their new unity government, Netanyahu doubled down on his vow to destroy Hamas, calling every member of the terror group "a dead man."

"Every Hamas operative will die," he said.

Netanyahu also referred to them as "savages" and "barbarians."

"We are fighting against a brutal and vicious enemy, an enemy that is worse than ISIS,” he said.

A small war cabinet made up of Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will plan an assault on Gaza, the newly formed coalition said in a statement.

Israeli hospital takes direct rocket hit

On Wednesday, a hospital in Ashkelon, a short distance over the border from Gaza, became the latest target.

"The main hospital in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon has been hit by a rocket from Gaza," wrote Avi Mayer, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, in a Wednesday morning post on X, formerly Twitter.

Damage was sustained, but there were no injuries in the strike on Barzilai Medical Center, according to Galei Tzahal, a radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces.

The barrage was a direct hit to the hospital's child development center, according to an X user who identified as a journalist.

More Hamas horrors

The Israeli military revealed ghastly new atrocities — including the discovery of slain children with knives still stuck in them — at the Be'eri Kibbutz near Gaza where more than 100 residents were killed on Saturday.

Evidence was also found that shows some kids were killed in front of their parents during Saturday's carnage near the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces Maj. Doron Spielman told the Times of Israel.

DNA testing will be needed to identify some children's severed body parts, Spielman said.

Gaza's last power plant runs dry

Meanwhile Wednesday, Gaza's sole power plant ran out of fuel, leaving the region in the dark days after Israeli officials ordered a halt on the supply of external electricity.

That leaves Gaza — which is also cut off from external shipments of food, fuel and drinking water — to rely on small, individual generators for as long as supplies last.

Sirens in Israel's north spark new fears

Sirens blared across northern Israel on Wednesday amid reports of attacks from the air via drone and manned aircraft, before the Israel Defense Forces said that there was no new invasion.

Dozens of drones, as well as manned aircraft, were believed to be encroaching from the northern border with Lebanon, sparking a scramble for shelter.

However, the IDF ultimately gave the all-clear.

Palestinian hackers claim control of alerts

After the alert system Israel uses to warn of possible invasions and rocket attacks blasted out a nationwide message on Wednesday, the IDF blamed a "glitch."

Palestinian hackers, however, claimed to be behind the mishap, according to Israel's KAN News.

Long-range Hamas missile hits Haifa

Hamas claimed Wednesday to have fired a long-range missile on the Israeli port city of Haifa, according to reports.

The strike, reported by Israel's Haaretz newspaper, is notable in that it represents an attack well beyond Gaza's borders, which has been bounded by airstrikes since Hamas' devastating surprise invasion of Southern Israel on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear whether any casualties were sustained in the reported long-range strike.

Two Canadians confirmed among the dead

Two Canadians are confirmed to be among the dead in Israel, with a third presumed dead as well, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Wednesday.

Officials previously indicated that three Canadians were confirmed dead, but issued the clarification Wednesday with Israel not immediately able to confirm the fate of the third individual, according to CTV News.

An additional three Canadians are unaccounted for, Joly said, declining to say whether it's believed that they're among Hamas' hostages.