WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the militant group Hamas for “sheer evil” for its shocking multi-pronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that has killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 14 American citizens.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. President Biden spoke out of the actions he and other allies have taken to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed his horror about “sickening” reports of torture inflicted by militants on innocent civilians.

“Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear,” President Biden said. He added, “Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow as we always have.”

President Biden, in his public remarks and statements since Hamas launched its attacks, has repeatedly emphasized his shock over the breadth and brutality of the Hamas assault — a blitz by land, sea and air that surprised Israeli and U.S. intelligence and that has killed hundreds Israelis and left even more wounded.

President Biden said he has directed his team to share intelligence and military experts to consult and advise Israelis. He also confirmed that the U.S. believes that Americans are among dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.

“As president I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world,” President Biden said.

The White House on Monday confirmed that it has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon was reviewing its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the war against Hamas.

The Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the far Eastern Mediterranean, within range to provide a host of air support or long-range strike options for Israel if requested, but also to surge U.S. military presence there to prevent the war from spilling over into a more dangerous regional conflict, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the arrival ahead of an announcement.

The Pentagon has said that the U.S. warplanes, destroyers and cruisers that sailed with the Ford will conduct maritime and air operations which could include intelligence collection, interdictions and long-range strikes.

Along with the Ford, the U.S. is sending the cruiser USS Normandy and destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt, and the U.S. is augmenting Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told report- ers traveling with him Tuesday to a Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels that a small group of U.S. special operations forces is also working with the Israelis to help with planning and intelligence.

President Biden on Monday in a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak underscored the “legiti- mate aspirations of the Palestinian people” and their decades-long push for sovereignty. But the leaders also sought to separate the Palestinians’ aspirations from the “appalling acts of terrorism” by Hamas.

Americans have had a gloomy outlook on President Biden’s performance on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Six in 10 Americans (61%) disapproved of how President Biden was handling the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, according to an August poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About one-third (35%) of U.S. adults approved, which was slightly lower than President Biden’s overall approval rating of 42% in the same poll.

The current crisis seems certain to further test public sentiment about President Biden’s Mideast foreign policy approach.

Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Seung Min Kim, Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee and Linley Sanders contributed reporting.