REP LIEU STATEMENT ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OCTOBER 7 ATTACK

LOS ANGELES - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel.

"Today marks one year since Hamas' brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas terrorists systematically brutalized, raped, and maimed scores of innocent Israelis, killing more than 1,200 people in what was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas also killed Americans who were in Israel. Hamas kidnapped 251 people, and we desperately await the return of the 101 hostages still being held captive today. I share in the grief of so many who experienced or were horrified to witness what transpired that day.

"Compounding the grief has been the alarming surge in antisemitism we've seen this year. Following October 7, Jewish people around the world have been subjected to an unprecedented increase of hate and vitriol. My own Jewish constituents have been the victims of abhorrent acts of violence and bigotry, and it breaks my heart that people in our communities are being targeted or made to feel unsafe because of their faith. As a co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, I am committed to rooting out antisemitism and the insidious ways hate spreads in our communities. Like any form of bigotry, antisemitism should be condemned in the strongest terms.

"As we reel from a profoundly difficult year, we cannot lose sight of how the horrors of October 7 have destroyed families and reshaped communities forever. I mourn all the innocent civilian lives lost that day and throughout the ensuing conflict. I share President Biden and Vice President Harris' view that Israel has the absolute right to defend itself. The United States will continue to work with Israel to bring home the hostages, protect innocent lives, and achieve durable peace in the Middle East."

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