The U.S. administration apologized for an accidental breach that revealed the identities of special operations officers sent to Israel to rescue hostages. White House Instagram posted a photo of President Joe Biden shaking hands with a Delta Force man, an elite Army counter-terrorism unit. Unfortunately, the photo also revealed the faces of three more Delta Force personnel and the soldier who greeted President Biden's unusual tattoo.

The photo was removed within an hour, but it got over 6,100 likes and spread over social media. White House spokespersons apologized for the error and its effects. The spokeswoman said the photo was shot during President Biden's recent visit to Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and offered U.S. support for the hostage crisis.

On October 7, Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas launched a major onslaught, causing the hostage situation. Hamas launched thousands of rockets and dozens of militants infiltrated Israeli neighbourhoods. This killed approximately 1,400 Israelis and injured over 4,200. In shocking videos, Hamas paraded at least 100 female hostages in the streets.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded by pledging to destroy Hamas at unprecedented levels. Israel pledged to use all military and diplomatic means to free the captives and restore safety.

Israeli reprisal has killed at least 3,000 Palestinians and injured over 12,500, according to Gaza's health officials.

The Israeli authorities confirmed that Hamas had 203 hostages, including Americans. The U.S. stressed its close cooperation with Israel and other partners to offer intelligence and expertise to free the hostages. Additionally, the U.S. strongly criticized Hamas' "barbaric" attack and demanded an immediate ceasefire.