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Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, there are days and events that are almost unspeakable, and October 7, 2023, is one of them. The slaughter of hundreds of innocent Israelis--men, women, and, unthinkably, children-- at the hands of Hamas terrorists was a terrible witness to the evil of which mankind is capable. The stories and images that have emerged are searing: a bloodied infant seat, parents tucking their 10-month-old twins into hiding before being murdered by the attackers, a mom and dad killed with their three young children.

As a father and a grandfather, I cannot imagine the terror those parents must have felt as they realized Hamas gunmen had moved into their villages. It is a terrible fact of war that the innocent are often drawn into the crossfire, but to make war on the innocent, to target the innocent deliberately, is perhaps the greatest evil of which man is capable.

Mr. President, it is nearly unimaginable to think that someone could look at Hamas's attack and find any cause for joy or celebration, and yet in the days following the attacks, we have seen far too many people right here at home--including at our so-called top universities-- attempt to defend or even celebrate the indefensible. And while the First Amendment protects their right to speak, I hope that we as a society can categorically reject the view that anything can justify or excuse the deliberate murder of babies and children.

Mr. President, Israel is currently working to bring a swift end to Hamas's reign of terror, and it should have the full support of the United States in this mission. The United States has long provided security assistance to Israel, including an ongoing memorandum of understanding that supports foreign military financing and missile defense assistance through fiscal year 2028.

In 2021, we passed supplemental funding to restock the Iron Dome system in response to rocket attacks from Hamas, and I anticipate Congress will soon consider a supplemental in response to this attack. We must also use every resource available to prevent escalation and expansion of this war and ensure that Israel does not end up fighting on multiple fronts.

We can already see that other hostile actors are angling to enter the fray. Iran is actively threatening Israel. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has fired rockets and artillery across Israel's northern border with Lebanon. And we need to band together with our allies to make it clear that any attempts to escalate this war would be a grave miscalculation.

It is also past time to hold Iran--a long-time funder of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations--to account for its role in fomenting unrest and destabilizing the Middle East. I have not been shy about calling out the Biden administration's poor track record on being tough on Iran, in particular, the administration's misguided goal of re-signing a flawed nuclear deal and attempting to appease the country's leaders with billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

Just over a month ago--on September 11 of all days--the administration lifted a freeze on $6 billion in Iranian assets, which would likely have resulted in the freeing up of additional funds for Iran's hostile activities. I am glad that the President listened to calls from Senator Blackburn, me, and others to block Iran's access to these funds, and I hope that the Senate can soon pass legislation to permanently freeze these assets. We need to make it very clear to Iran--and to any other country that would seek to imitate the Iranians--that there will be consequences for aiding and abetting terror.

Mr. President, 30 Americans have now been confirmed to have died in Israel. As I speak, we have 13 possible American hostages being held by Hamas. We also have an estimated up to 600 Americans in Gaza in harm's way, including a family that my office is working with. We must get them out.

Mr. President, in the midst of war and Hamas's brutality, it is important to remember our own sense of humanity and innocence on both sides. Hamas's utter indifference to human life was on full display on its rampage through Israeli villages, and that indifference extends, unfortunately, to the lives of its own people. Hamas has tangled its terrorist infrastructure throughout and under an incredibly dense urban population center, ensuring that innocent lives will always be in harm's way in attacks on legitimate terrorist targets.

And as Israel prepares to go after targets in Gaza, Hamas is now discouraging--and, it appears, actively trying to prevent--civilians from heeding Israel's calls to evacuate. Apparently, Hamas believes that dead Palestinians will advance its cause and keep the focus on Israel's response, not the abject brutality that Hamas unleashed on October 7. And we must be resolute in exposing and condemning this callousness.

We must also work to ensure that the response of free countries conveys the respect for human life that is so woefully lacking in the terrorists and that we do everything we can to ensure that innocent civilians on both sides in this conflict are protected as much as possible and that humanitarian aid reaches innocent Palestinians and is not intercepted by Hamas terrorists.

Mr. President, the Jewish people have suffered much, but their story--and the story of Israel--is one of resilience, and the United States stands with Israel at this most challenging time. My prayers this week are with the grieving families in Israel and all the suffering and for the permanent defeat of Hamas and a just and lasting peace.

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