[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5921-H5923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CALLING ON HAMAS TO IMMEDIATELY RELEASE HOSTAGES TAKEN DURING OCTOBER 
                         2023 ATTACK ON ISRAEL

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 793) calling on Hamas to immediately release 
hostages taken during October 2023 attack on Israel.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 793

       Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal 
     terrorist attack from Gaza into Israel and against the 
     Israeli people;
       Whereas, on October 16, 2023, the Israeli military 
     confirmed that Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in the 
     attack;
       Whereas, on October 15, 2023, the United States Department 
     of State confirmed that at least 30 Americans were killed in 
     the attack;
       Whereas, on October 16, 2023, the Israeli military 
     confirmed that Hamas was holding 199 hostages in Gaza who 
     were abducted during the attack;
       Whereas Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions 
     states that the taking of hostages is and shall remain 
     prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever;
       Whereas, on October 10, 2023, President Joe Biden confirmed 
     that Americans are known to be among the hostages;
       Whereas it is reported that children and senior citizens 
     are among the hostages; and
       Whereas Hamas has threatened to execute hostages and 
     videotape the killings: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns Hamas for its brutal attack on Israel;
       (2) condemns Hamas for the taking of hostages;
       (3) condemns Hamas for threats made against hostages;
       (4) demands that Hamas immediately release all hostages and 
     return them to safety;
       (5) recognizes that the taking of hostages is a violation 
     of international humanitarian law; and
       (6) expresses sympathy to the hostages, wounded, deceased, 
     and their families for this travesty to justice and personal 
     hardship.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hill) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Manning) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Israel suffered one of the worst days in 
its history as it came under attack by the Hamas terror group. These 
terrorists stormed across the border at Gaza and murdered 1,200 people 
and took 240 innocent people hostage, dragging them against their will 
into Gaza.
  From elderly Holocaust survivors to young babies, Hamas did not 
discriminate in its cruelty.
  Mr. Speaker, American citizens are still among the hostages. Many of 
us in this House have met with these hostage families. The pain and 
suffering that these families are enduring is beyond what any human 
should have to go through.
  Young children forced to be witness to their parents' murder right in 
front of them, babies ripped from their mothers arms, teenagers at a 
music festival gunned down.
  The atrocities that were committed that day and the glee with which 
the terrorists acted is unimaginable, Mr. Speaker, and it is the height 
of human depravity.
  Hamas filmed and broadcast these atrocities. This savage, sick 
terrorist group wanted to brag to the world about the massacre at their 
hands.
  These terrorists, Mr. Speaker, are monsters, and we have not seen 
this type of violence and cruelty since ISIS was running rampant in the 
Levant. The Jewish people have not witnessed this much diabolical death 
in one day since the Holocaust.
  After holding these hostages for 7 long weeks, Hamas has agreed to 
release some of these innocent women and children in an exchange for 
Israel temporarily pausing its military campaign and releasing 
Palestinians in jail.
  All of us on this House floor are grateful for those hostage 
releases, and we are grateful for the leadership of the United States, 
Qatar, and the Government of Israel to achieve that modicum of peace 
and help for those families.
  However, listen to the deal, Mr. Speaker. It was three jailed 
criminals for each innocent person captured and drug across the Gaza 
fence line on October 7. Despite the good news that we have witnessed 
in the last few days, Hamas is still holding over 150 innocent people.
  Hamas must release all the remaining hostages. The United States 
continues to stand alongside our ally Israel in their fight to secure 
that safe release of all the hostages unconditionally and safely.
  It was an honor and privilege working together with Congresswoman 
Haley Stevens, and I am so proud to be on the House floor tonight 
alongside Congresswoman Haley Stevens to introduce this resolution.
  With this resolution, the House of Representatives strongly condemns 
Hamas' attack. It calls on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally 
release all the hostages taken on October 7.
  The House Foreign Affairs Committee has marked up this legislation 
earlier in the month, and it received unanimous support. I expect it 
will receive that today on this House floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to stand with the hostages, 
with their families, and support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1730

  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 793, 
calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during the 
October 7 gruesome and savage attack on Israel. I am grateful for my 
dear friend and colleague from Michigan, Representative Haley Stevens, 
for introducing the resolution together with my friend, Representative 
French Hill.
  Representative Stevens' extraordinary leadership on hostage and 
wrongful detention issues has given a voice to families of hostages and 
detainees and helped ensure that we never relent in our pursuit of 
bringing wrongfully detained Americans home.
  The Hamas terror attack on October 7 resulted in the abduction of 
more than 240 innocent civilians and the heinous murder of more than 
1,200 people.
  In specifically targeting a civilian population, Hamas' abductions 
are among the greatest crimes against humanity. The sheer scale of the 
casualties and murder is the greatest attack against the Jewish people 
since the Holocaust.
  Hamas has compounded the unimaginable human suffering it has caused 
through the use of its own people and the hostages as human shields, 
something we should never forget.
  The hostages abducted by Hamas include civilians, soldiers, women, 
children, grandparents, and Holocaust survivors. Many are Israeli. Some 
are foreign or dual nationals, including American citizens.
  Dozens of hostages have finally been released, thanks to the 
painstaking, difficult, and necessary negotiations assisted by the 
United States, including President Biden, and Qatar. I hope that, after 
this latest round of releases, we will continue to work to bring home 
all the remaining hostages.
  This resolution calls attention to these abductions perpetrated by 
Hamas. Hamas specifically captured these innocent people so they could 
be used as bargaining chips and human shields while Hamas attempts to 
wipe Israel off the map.
  Yet, while the situation is dire, there is hope. There are 
experienced public servants across the United States Government who 
have already helped secure the release of some Americans and dozens of 
other hostages from Hamas'

[[Page H5922]]

clutches. These dedicated officials in the White House, the Office of 
the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, the Hostage 
Recovery Fusion Cell, and elsewhere across our government continue 
their tireless work to bring all the remaining American hostages and 
all the hostages home.
  This resolution is simple and straightforward. It condemns the 
horrific actions of Hamas, correctly notes that hostage taking is a 
violation of international humanitarian law, expresses solidarity with 
the victims, and demands Hamas release all hostages immediately.
  It is incredibly important that we give it our full support to send a 
clear message about the need to bring them home. We must stand with the 
hostages and their families in Israel and all over the world until they 
come home.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues and, in particular, Representative 
Stevens for her tireless efforts on behalf of these Americans and their 
families and all Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained 
overseas.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Lawler), a very passionate supporter of our ally Israel and a 
senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, I was in Israel with Chairman 
McCaul, Ranking Member Meeks, and a bipartisan delegation. We met with 
Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we watched 21 minutes of unedited, raw 
footage of the October 7 terrorist attack. We watched Hamas terrorists 
indiscriminately kill women, children, and babies. We watched them take 
innocent civilians hostage, including Doron Katz Asher and her two 
daughters, Raz and Aviv. Doron's uncle is a constituent of mine in the 
17th Congressional District of New York.
  We met with families of the hostages, including the brother of Emily 
Hand. I sat next to him as he tearfully told his sister's story, 
bringing the rest of us to tears as he talked about the fact that his 
8-year-old sister would spend her ninth birthday--the Friday after our 
meeting--alone, held captive by Hamas terrorists.
  A few weeks ago, in New York City, I met with the mother of Or Yaakov 
and Yagil Yaakov, 13- and 16-year-old young men who were held captive. 
All of them have since been released.
  I thank the administration for negotiating to get their release, but 
let's be clear: Hamas is a vile, barbaric terrorist organization.
  We hear Members calling for a cease-fire. There was a cease-fire on 
October 6. In fact, there have been eight cease-fires in 15 years, each 
time violated by Hamas. In this most recent one, the biggest 
slaughtering of Jews since the Holocaust, 240 innocents were taken away 
from their families.
  While they are releasing hostages, it is not enough. I have a simple 
way for this to end. If people want a cease-fire, Hamas must surrender. 
It is that simple. We want these hostages home, and we want to make 
sure that the innocent lives lost are not in vain.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New York.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, we saw news reports that Hamas would not 
release a 10-month-old baby and, in fact, was turning that baby over to 
another terrorist organization. That is the type of people, if you can 
even call them that, who you are dealing with.
  The United States must do everything it can to stand by its greatest 
ally in the Middle East and, indeed, across the world, the State of 
Israel. We will vote on a resolution that makes it clear that not only 
does Israel have a right to exist, but they have a right to defend 
themselves, and the only way that this ends peacefully is for Hamas to 
surrender.

  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
the great State of Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
for yielding. She is a true leader in this country on Middle East 
issues. I also thank the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Mr. McCaul, for his steady hand and dedication to leading 
the Foreign Affairs Committee during this pivotal moment in world 
history and for moving this resolution forward alongside the ranking 
member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the indefatigable former 
Chairman Meeks.
  Congressman French Hill and I chair the Congressional Task Force on 
American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad, and I thank 
him for being my lead sponsor on this bill. It is an honor to work with 
him in that capacity. This resolution speaks to our collaboration and 
dedication to the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.
  On October 7, a day that will live in infamy, 1,200 were killed in a 
surprise attack during a Jewish holiday. The attack didn't stop there 
because over 200 were taken hostage in one of the greatest hostage 
takings in world history.
  We are now in a moment when the House of Representatives is called to 
speak, to demand on behalf of our government the return of all the 
hostages held in Gaza.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hundreds of cosponsors and supporters of 
this resolution. It is worth noting that fellow Members of Congress who 
span the country and the political spectrum have joined together to 
call out Hamas.
  Mr. Speaker, the time is more than now. We have seen some hostages in 
the last handful of days being returned, and now we have learned of 
their harrowing time held in tunnels, nearly starved, with no beds. 
Right now, too many are left in those tunnels injured, uncared for, and 
victimized at the hands of those who killed their fellow countrymen and 
-women.
  Introduced on October 17, a week-and-a-half into this hostage 
nightmare, this resolution, H. Res. 793, called out Hamas and demanded 
the return of the innocents--women, elderly, children, infants. Over 
the weekend, Israel and her allies secured the release of 58 hostages 
at 7 weeks into captivity. On Monday, 11 more hostages were released. 
Just moments ago, we have learned of more, for a total of 85. Among 
those are Aviv Asher, age 2; her sister Raz, age 4; Emma Cunio, age 3; 
Yuli Cunio, age 3; Avigail Idan, age 4; and Oria Brodutch, age 4--
toddlers, children, preschoolers, the most innocent people on planet 
Earth. Those freed also included senior citizens: Yafa Adar, age 85; 
Elma Avraham, age 84; and Channa Peri, age 79.
  Why on Earth did Hamas take these people? Why did they force them to 
watch the murder of their loved ones? This is absolutely 
unconscionable, and it is an attack on all humanity.
  These people have been used as pawns. We are relieved that some are 
home, but we must condemn those who have kidnapped. We must condemn the 
terrorists who seek to attack the Jewish state. They have brutally 
killed relatives, neighbors, and fellow Israelis. We must continue to 
push to return the remaining hostages.
  Let us not forget that over 150 remain in Gaza, and many of those 
released still have family members held--nearly 200 people held for 52 
days at gunpoint. Nine Americans continue to be held.
  Hundreds of families are waiting with bated breath for the return of 
their precious loved ones, waiting for relief and joy or the worst pain 
known to humankind. We cannot even imagine their anguish. It is 
unfathomable. What Hamas did was evil, and it was an attack on the 
Jewish state.

                              {time}  1745

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I cannot in my allotted time name those who 
are remaining in Gaza, but we are making progress, and we will come 
together united as a House of Representatives to condemn this evil.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her passionate 
words and her outstanding work in crafting this H. Res. 793, which 
calls on Hamas to release everyone unconditionally to return to their 
families.
  Ms. Stevens has done a great thing. Between us, we come to this House

[[Page H5923]]

floor with some 236 cosponsors for this resolution, Mr. Speaker.
  I would certainly hope that on both sides of this aisle that we have 
a unanimous vote on this important statement of the American people, 
representing the American people, calling out against the atrocities 
that have been committed against the innocent people in Israel.
  I thank my friend from Michigan, too, for our work together and 
partnership and co-chairing the Congressional Task Force on American 
Hostages and Americans Wrongly Detained Abroad.
  This is important work. It has been truly tested in these past 7 
weeks. Our congressional family is grieving with our Israeli families 
and other nationalities who have someone as a murder victim of these 
terrorists or someone who remains a hostage of these terrorists.
  It is our goal to be a resource to our fellow Members through that 
task force to try to help them work with our State Department and make 
sure those families understand what information they can have and how 
they can be helped through this challenge. We want to bring all these 
Americans home.
  Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, I just would say we were all on the 
front steps of the Capitol together, Democrats and Republicans, and we 
stood as Americans that night with our new Speaker,   Mike Johnson; our 
minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries; Ms. Stevens, myself, our colleagues; 
our committee chairs, Mr. Meeks of New York as our ranking member of 
Foreign Affairs; and our committee chairman, Mr. McCaul of Texas, in 
solidarity against the atrocities in Gaza and in Israel.
  That night, I had the opportunity to have the most wonderful visit 
with the most hopeful mother, Adi Marciano--a beautiful woman.
  We hugged and talked, and we had in the candlelight of that moment on 
the House steps a moment of hope, but just a few hours later, she 
learned that her daughter, Noa, 19 years old, Mr. Speaker, a soldier in 
the Israel Defense Forces, was among the murdered, not among the 
hostages.
  We don't want to forget those who have been killed in this process as 
we pray for the release of the hostages, and we call politically on 
this House floor for the release of the hostages.
  We lift up these families, and we lift up all those who are grieving 
over the loss and tragedy on both sides of the fence in Gaza.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 793. I 
reserve the balance of my time, and I have no additional speakers.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, I have spent the past 6 weeks meeting with families of 
innocent civilians who were taken hostage by Hamas.
  Just like the stories of Holocaust survivors, each story is unique. 
Each story is heartbreaking because each of these hostages has loving 
family members whose lives have been torn apart, who are living with 
the agony of not knowing what has become of their loved ones. Are they 
okay? Are they healthy? Are they injured? Are they alive? Will they 
ever see them again?
  I have heard stories that have brought me to tears, that haunt my 
dreams, that should make all of us redouble our efforts to bring those 
hostages home.
  Mr. Speaker, the past few days have seen significant breakthroughs in 
attempts to bring the hostages held by Hamas home to their families. 
Dozens of hostages, including a few Americans, have been released, 
especially over the past few days.
  I applaud the efforts of this administration, Israel, Qatar, and 
others who have worked to ensure that the temporary cease-fire holds 
and that the agreed-upon hostages are released, but there is much more 
work to be done.
  Even after these last rounds of releases, dozens of hostages still 
remain imprisoned by Hamas. This is unacceptable.
  We cannot afford to go back to the status quo. It is imperative that 
the United States, Israel, and our other allies and partners continue 
to press forward with efforts to secure the release of all the 
remaining hostages, including Keith Siegel from my State of North 
Carolina, including Yarden Roman who made the excruciating decision to 
hand her daughter, Geffen, to her husband, Alon, because he could run 
faster to escape the terrorists and save their daughter.
  Yarden herself is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor whose 
great-grandparents made the same excruciating decision to sacrifice 
themselves for their daughter.
  There are more than 150 more young people, mothers, fathers, 
civilians, soldiers, Americans, Israelis, Thai, and others. We must 
continue to work so that they can be brought home and reunited with 
their families.
  I strongly support this resolution. Again, I thank Representative 
Stevens for all her work on this issue and on this resolution, and I 
urge all my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
for leading the discussion on our House floor today on the gentlewoman 
from Michigan's excellent resolution, H. Res. 793.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor, proud to stand with 236 Members on both 
sides of the aisle to demand an unconditional release of those still 
held hostage by the terrorists in Gaza and their coconspirators.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 793.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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