A bipartisan delegation of lawmakers from the United States arrived in Israel this weekend to see for themselves what Israelis are facing.
The delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), including Republican Senators Mitt Romney and Bill Cassidy and Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Jacky Rosen, all of whom expressed their solidarity and firm support for the State of Israel.
The senators met with President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Defense Ministry and IDF headquarters, the Kirya, in Tel Aviv.
“We must maintain a critical combination that includes Israel’s military power and our determination to destroy the enemy, together with ongoing US support and partnership,” Gallant told the lawmakers.
The minister described the horrific attacks conducted by the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization exactly one week ago – the greatest human loss for the Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust.
The senators viewed a video of some of the atrocities perpetrated against Israeli civilians and troops, including murder, decapitation, rape and abduction.
IDF International Cooperation Division head Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin then briefed the senators on developments in the war and Israeli military operations.
Gallant described the heroic actions of both IDF troops and Israeli civilians in defending their families and communities and fighting the terrorists. He also addressed the senators’ questions regarding humanitarian issues and Israeli efforts to evacuate the Gazan civilian population from centers of war.
In addition, the minister showed the senators images revealing Hamas terrorists actively preventing Gaza civilians from evacuating military targets and hotspots of terror infrastructure in order to increase human casualties and use the Palestinians as human shields.
Gallant expressed his “sincere appreciation” to the senators, the wider US Congress, defense establishment and Biden Administration for the extraordinary support they have provided, and for the ongoing open lines of communication.
The minister also urged the senators to seek support for the urgent needs of Israel’s military and humanitarian efforts.
