Bennet Statement Recognizing One Year Since the October 7th Hamas Attack on Israel

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement marking one year since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel:

"On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, brutally killing 1,200 innocent people and kidnapping 250 more. A year later, Hamas still holds almost 100 hostages, among them at least seven Americans: Edan Alexander, Itay Chen z"l, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai z"l, Omer Neutra, Keith Siegel, and Judith Weinstein z"l. At the same time, Iran and its proxies continue to sow chaos throughout the Middle East - including by attacking U.S. troops and targeting American interests. The U.S. must defend our people and our allies, including Israel.

"This terrible war has inflicted enormous human suffering and trauma on Israelis, Palestinians, and people far beyond the Middle East, itself. As the families of Hamas' hostages continue to call for an agreement to free their loved ones and secure a mutual ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. must continue leading efforts to achieve such a deal. The U.S. must also lead efforts to secure an enforceable agreement that allows tens of thousands of displaced civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return to their homes.

"These diplomatic efforts are essential; indeed, they are the only way to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the region. These negotiations are a predicate to building a just two-state solution out of the tragedy of the last year."