Sen. Cruz Issues Statement After Israel Announces Start of Offensive

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after Israel’s military announced the beginning of a counteroffensive against Hamas and other Iran-controlled terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Sen. Cruz said, “On Saturday the world witnessed the largest mass murder of Jews on any day since the Holocaust. Iran-controlled Hamas terrorists used Nazi tactics in pursuit of Nazi ends: house-to-house murders of entire families, systematic rape and torture, murdering babies in front of their parents or killing parents and kidnapping babies, mass kidnappings, marching victims through streets for mob humiliation, and countless other atrocities.

 “Thousands of Israelis and a still-unknown number of citizens from other countries are dead, wounded, or kidnapped. Dozens of Americans are reportedly among them.

“Our Israeli allies announced overnight that they are shifting from retaking their territory to an offensive. The United States must ensure that Israel has all the weapons and all the time that it needs to utterly eradicate Hamas, and we must be unambiguous about that commitment.

“Instead, this weekend the State Department repeatedly posted statements and summaries calling for premature ceasefires and for Israel to stand down, while other times Biden administration officials said they were not pressuring Israel. This ambiguity badly undermines our ally’s campaign against the Iran-controlled terrorists in the Gaza Strip, endangering the safety and security of Israelis and Americans.”