Israel ambassador to UN says Gaza attack is Israel's 9/11, and that Americans are being held hostage

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told "FOX & Friends Weekend" on Sunday that the recent attack on the Jewish state by Hamas terrorists is equivalent to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States 22 years ago. 

"I hope everyone understands 600 fatalities in Israel is proportionately like having 20,000 American fatalities here," Erdan said during the interview. "20,000 people who are butchered and massacred by these savage terrorists. It's our 9/11."

He added that there are multiple hostages. 

“I know that there are dozens, dozens of Americans, Israeli-Americans, who are holding American citizenship, who are being held hostage now in Gaza," he later said. 

Palestinian terrorists in Gaza launched an attack against Israel on Saturday with rockets and ground forces, inflicting significant casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war following the attack.

Israeli soldiers fought Hamas militants in the streets of several southern cities on Sunday while repelling a rocket attack from Hezbollah terrorists in the north as America’s closest ally in the Middle East formally declared it was at war for the first time in a half century. 

The death toll has surpassed 1,100 in Israel and Gaza, according to reports. 

"We are a resilient people," Erdan said on Sunday. "We've gone through hardships and we will also win this war. We will prevail."

While the ambassador couldn't go into the specifics of Israel's military plan, he said that they would "retaliate everything at our disposal."