Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl once again took to social media on Sunday, insisting Israel needs the United States “more than ever,” and that Hamas must be destroyed.

Pearl, who is Jewish and a co-founder of the Jewish Coaches Association, has been outspoken in support of Israel after it was attacked by the terrorist group Hamas on Saturday.

On Sunday, he posted on “X,” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Israel needs her big brother’s support now more than ever! We need a strong Israel to be able to ally with her peaceful Arab neighbors and deal the terrorist regime in Iran. And Hamas must be destroyed, not for revenge, but for the safety of everyone living in the Middle East!”

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents sought to heed Israel’s order to evacuate roughly the northern half of the territory, while others huddled at hospitals in the north on Sunday. Gaza’s 2.3 million civilians faced a deepening struggle for food, water and safety, and braced for a looming invasion more than a week after Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on Israel.

Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a campaign by air, land and sea to dismantle the militant group. Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City in the north and renewed warnings on social media, ordering more than 1 million Gaza residents to move south.

The U.S. State Department said the number of Americans killed since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas has risen to 30.

Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 and murdered more than 1,400 Israelis, the vast majority of them civilians. The militants also kidnapped at least 155 people — a number that includes babies and the elderly — and are holding them hostage in Gaza. Their whereabouts are not publicly known, but their families have been urgently pressing for their release.

Pearl has been an adamant, loud and public supporter of Israel throughout his life and long before the attacks began over the weekend.

Last week, Pearl commented on and re-posted a tweet from the Black Lives Matter Chicago group that stated “I stand with Palestine” and showed a picture of a paratrooper. The image was largely interpreted online to be supporting Hamas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.