[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 202 (Thursday, December 7, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5879-S5880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ISRAEL

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, as fighting has resumed in Israel and 
in Gaza, I met with three families whose loved ones became victims of 
Hamas. One was the sister of Tamar Gutman, a beautiful 27-year-old 
Israeli woman who disappeared on October 7. Tamar had been attending 
the Supernova music festival when the terrorists attacked.
  Tamar's sister was in touch with her during the morning of the attack 
as Tamar and her friends tried desperately to hide from the attackers. 
But Tamar suddenly stopped responding to texts.
  Her family presumed she had been abducted and held out hope that she 
might still be alive. But 27 days after the attack, they finally got 
footage that indicated that she had been killed.
  Tamar's sister told me that as horrible as it was to see the image of 
her sister's dead body, it was a relief to see that her jeans were 
still on her body.
  But later, when the family recovered or tried to recover Tamar's body 
to give her a proper burial, they only found a few bones from her thigh 
and her chest. Her body had been horrifically dismembered, mutilated, 
and burned.
  I also met with friends of Ofir Tzarfati's, who was attending the

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Supernova music festival as well. He, his girlfriend Shoval, and his 
friends were there to celebrate his 27th birthday. When rockets began 
to fall, the friends all got in their cars and began driving toward the 
exit, but there was a huge traffic jam. Suddenly, hundreds of people 
started running to the other side of the cars, yelling: ``Terrorists! 
There are terrorists here! They shot a woman in the head!''
  Ofir grabbed his girlfriend Shoval's hand, and they started running. 
People were freezing in fear and falling from gunfire around them. The 
couple and a friend hid for 4 hours behind a tree trunk. Shoval and 
others who had escaped say that Ofir was a hero, that he managed the 
whole situation to protect them, telling them when to run, when to 
crouch, when to hide. They saw his bravery, and they followed him.
  When an Israeli driver came to offer help, Ofir helped his girlfriend 
and her friend into the car. But there were already eight people inside 
that car, and there was no room for him, so Ofir told them to go 
without him, and he got into another car. Shoval wanted to get in 
Ofir's car, but the driver already hit the gas and drove off. She 
called him on the way to tell him where to meet her, but he never made 
it.
  Later, Ofir's loved ones learned that his car was attacked and that 
he was badly injured, but they held out hope that he was still alive 
and were told he had been taken captive. Sadly, on November 29, Ofir's 
family learned that his body had been found in Gaza.
  These are just two among the hundreds of innocent people who fell 
victim to Hamas. But despite the profound grief and despair their 
families are experiencing, they are dedicating themselves to advocating 
for the innocent hostages still in captivity.
  Last week, I also met with Merav Raviv, whose uncle, Avraham, and 
aunt, Ruti Munder, were kidnapped together with their daughter, Keren 
Munder, and her son, Ohad. Ruti, Keren, and Ohad were released, but 
Avraham is still being held by Hamas. He will turn 79 tomorrow. He is 
in very poor health, and he needs medication and care. His family said 
that a kind Israeli woman who was trained to be a nurse was trying to 
care for him in captivity, but since she has been released, they are 
very, very worried that he will not survive.
  We know what Hamas thinks about the sanctity of human life by what 
they did to Tamar and Ofir. Every day that the hostages remain in 
captivity is another day that their lives are at risk.
  It is time to bring every hostage home and reunite them with their 
families. It is the least that we can do to honor the memories of those 
who have been lost, those who have been killed, those whose bodies have 
been desecrated, and those who are in deep, deep sorrow.
  I yield the floor.

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