The legislation ‘reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense from threats and terrorist organizations that seek her destruction’ and calls for Hamas to immediately surrender and release the hostages
A bipartisan group of 130 House lawmakers have joined a resolution commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, calling for Hamas’s full surrender and expressing support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
The legislation condemns Hamas and calls on its leaders to immediately and unconditionally surrender and release the 101 hostages they still hold in Gaza a year after the attack. It mentions the seven remaining American hostages by name.
“Israel, like other sovereign states, has a right to defend herself from terrorist organizations and others who seek its destruction and annihilation, such as Iranian-backed proxies,” the resolution states. It “reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense from threats and terrorist organizations that seek her destruction.”
The resolution highlights that Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that aims to destroy Israel and kill all Jews; that it has “reignited multiple wars with Israel”; repeatedly targeted Israeli civilians including by firing rockets; “violated an existing cease-fire” on Oct. 7; and uses “civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and homes for [its] military operations, intentionally using civilians as human shields.”
The legislation goes on to commit to “ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches Palestinian noncombatants,” calls on the United Nations and other international organizations to “unequivocally denounce” Hamas and support the release of the hostages and “strongly condemns and denounces” antisemitism.
The resolution details the crimes Hamas committed on and since Oct. 7, including widespread and well-documented sexual violence, killing more than 40 Americans including hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and refusing to allow the Red Cross or other humanitarian organizations to visit the hostages.
And it highlights that Hamas has pledged to repeat the Oct. 7 attack and continues to fire rockets at Israel, “including from within designated humanitarian zones”; that Iranian proxy groups have carried out thousands of attacks against Israel and U.S. military personnel and assets; that Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israel since Oct. 7, prompting large-scale displacements of civilians; and that Iran has directly attacked Israel.
It further notes that antisemitism has increased worldwide since the Oct. 7 attack.
The resolution is being led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Young Kim (R-CA).
Other notable signatories include Senate candidates Reps. Colin Allred (D-TX), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA).
Some House Democrats who’ve been highly critical of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and accused Israel of violating U.S. arms sales law also joined the resolution.
