A year ago today, on October 7, 2023, Hamas perpetrated the worst terrorist attack in Israel's history. On the Jewish holy day of Simchat Torah, Hamas murdered some 1,200 civilians, including more than 40 American citizens, and took 251 more innocent people hostage, including 12 Americans. One year after the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the end of the Holocaust, we mourn with the people of Israel and with the families of those slain by Hamas—and we stand with the families still working with such courage to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity.
The Department of Defense's primary duty is to keep American citizens safe. We bow our heads in memory of the Americans murdered by Hamas over the past year, including the slain hostages Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judy Weinstein Haggai, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Their memories will be a blessing—and spur us to action. We will not rest until every hostage has returned home.
The atrocities Hamas committed on October 7th are a stark reminder of the threat posed by Hamas and other terrorist organizations backed by Iran. At the direction of President Biden, the Department has surged security assistance to Israel since October 7th and has deployed additional military forces to the Middle East to support the defense of Israel; to deter further aggression from Iran and its partners and proxies; and to protect U.S. personnel across the region. On April 13 and again on October 1, U.S. forces coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces and other partners to defeat Iran's brazen and outrageous ballistic-missile, cruise-missile, and UAV barrages against Israel. The Department has also supported other U.S. government agencies working to free the hostages and to surge humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Hamas is a ruthless terrorist group that uses civilians as shields. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. All states have a duty to respond to a terrorist outrage like October 7th—and all states have a duty to protect civilians during armed conflict. Over the past year, I have often discussed with Israel's leaders how protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative. We mourn the death of every Palestinian civilian killed in the West Bank and Gaza during this awful conflict, and we grieve for the deaths of the American citizens Tawfiq Ajaq, Mohammad Khdour, and Aysenur Eygi.
It would compound this year of tragedy if all that awaited Israelis and Palestinians was more insecurity, bitterness, and despair ahead. Like every U.S. administration since the Six-Day War of 1967, we believe that Israelis and Palestinians must find a way to share the land that they both call home. That means working to find a path toward two states, living side by side in mutual security, as part of a broader, brighter future of Arab-Israeli normalization that includes Israel's integration into the region.
The Department of Defense will not flinch in our commitment to Israel's security, to combatting terrorism by Hamas and other fanatical groups, to deterring further aggression from Iran, and to working with our allies and partners to promote stability and peace in the Middle East.
My prayers today are with those murdered by Hamas on October 7th, with the survivors, and with all who are still working courageously to bring their loved ones home and end the suffering by reaching a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home and enable a surge of humanitarian aid. This is not just a day to mourn. It is a day to work.
