My Statement on the Third Anniversary of October 7th Three years ago today, Hamas murdered some 1,200 people in Israel, the vast majority of them civilians, committed horrific atrocities, and dragged 251 hostages into captivity. The attack against Israelis on October 7th was a horrific act of terrorism. Hamas murdered Israelis in cold blood at a music festival and in their kibbutzim. The deliberate killing of innocent people is never resistance. It is a crime against humanity. It is a war crime. Like any country facing a terrorist attack, Israel had the right to defend itself and go after Hamas. Tragically, the Netanyahu government in Israel did not wage a war against Hamas alone. It waged a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women, children and the elderly, and more than 175,000 have been wounded. Gaza's homes, hospitals, schools and water systems have been reduced to rubble. Instead of continuing to provide military aid to the extremist government of Israel, the United States should be doing everything possible to provide and support humanitarian aid to the desperate people in Gaza and bring peace and justice to the region. The way to honor every person lost over these three years is to end the bloodshed: No more American weapons for the extremist Israeli government, a real and enforced ceasefire, full access to humanitarian aid, reconstruction by and for Palestinians, and a genuine path to a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. On this solemn day, we must come together to demand a lasting peace.