SCHNEIDER STATEMENT ON OCTOBER 7TH

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL - Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus, released the following statement to mark one year since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023:

"Exactly one year ago today, at 6:29 AM Israel time, Hamas launched a barbaric, genocidal attack against Israel. Thousands of heavily armed Hamas terrorists, crossed the border to torture, rape and murder Israelis, mutilate the bodies of the dead beyond recognition and take hostages back into Gaza.

"Eight hours later, at approximately 6:30 AM Chicago time, I was awoken by a call from my son with the words 'Israel is at war, turn on the TV.'

"In those early hours, before we fully grasped the extent of the attack, it was clear this was different from past flare ups in fighting between Hamas and Israel: in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2021. We soon realized that Israel was fighting an existential war against not only Hamas, but Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq and central to it all, the regime in Iran.

"In the initial assault, Hamas murdered more than 1,200 and kidnapped more than 250, including children less than 1 year old and people in their 80s, some who had survived the horrors of the Holocaust. This was the worst day for the Jewish people since the end of World War II.

"In the days and months since, I have twice visited Israel to bear witness to the sites of the atrocities and have regularly met with survivors and their families to personally hear their stories. I've met with government officials in Washington, Jerusalem and Riyadh. I have worked with my colleagues in Congress-on both sides of the aisle-to ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself, secure its borders, protect its citizens and return the hostages, including all Americans. At the same time, I have met with people from our government, as well as from Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid is delivered into and throughout Gaza for as long as it takes to defeat Hamas.

"Israel is our most important ally and closest friend in the Middle East. Especially as threats against Israel mount from Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as directly from Iran and its other terrorist proxy groups, I've been proud to stand with Israel in her time of greatest need, along with President Biden and Vice President Harris.

"Today, as we mark this gruesome and tragic anniversary, I urge all my colleagues and fellow community members to take a moment to honor the memory of those who were murdered on October 7, to remember the heroes who saved countless lives--many sacrificing their own life to do so -and to recommit to the effort to secure the release of the 101 people, including 7 Americans, still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, and to remain resolute in the defense of the Jewish state of Israel.

"Let us also redouble our efforts to open a path, envisioned by the Abraham Accords, to a more secure and peaceful future for all the peoples of the Middle East-both Israelis and Arabs-free from the terror and nihilism of the Iranian regime and its proxies. We all want the wars to soon end, but they will only end when those committed to peace stand up to and defeat those seeking nothing more than domination, death and destruction.

"May the memories of those murdered on October 7^th, and all who those lost since, be a blessing. May the hostages be safely returned soon, and may the fighting finally come to an end. Together, may we secure lasting peace for all people in the Middle East."

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