[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 165 (Tuesday, October 7, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S6967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Israel

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today we mark 2 years since the 
horrific attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
  Two years ago, Israel was the victim of one of the most vicious, 
vile, terrible crimes in recent memory--maybe in all of history. 
Thousands of Hamas terrorists poured across the border and slaughtered 
more than 1,200 Israelis and abducted dozens more.
  So today we remember, as we must, all who lost their lives, and we 
remember the families who have lost their loved ones. And our hearts go 
out to them, as they did in those days immediately following that 
horror.
  We cannot forget the 48 hostages still enduring unimaginable 
suffering at the hands of Hamas, and we pray for their return. The 
wound of October 7 is still healing. It may never heal, but it is also 
a call to action and remembrance.
  In the days immediately following October 7, I traveled to Israel. I 
met with families of those hostages. I have spoken since then to 
members of the IDF and to Palestinians. The war has never been against 
Palestinians; it is against Hamas. And I have been so deeply moved by 
the strength and bravery of those hostage families as well as many 
others. I have family in Israel, so this war is personal, and in my 
visits to Israel, I have also visited other nations and met with 
leaders in the region.
  And today, I have more hope than ever that there is a narrow path to 
bringing those hostages home, to providing more humanitarian aid, and 
meeting the crisis in Gaza--a humanitarian crisis--as well as a 
permanent cease-fire, an end to Hamas's threat to Israel.
  Today, I stand in solidarity with Israel. I believe in Israel's right 
to self-defense against this kind of terror. We should commit ourselves 
to take advantage of this window of opportunity. I hope that the peace 
plan that is on the table will provide a path, as it should, to 
everyone who wants an end to the suffering and bloodshed and the 
humanitarian crisis that continues, a peace that guarantees the 
security of the Israeli people, an end to the humanitarian crisis in 
Gaza, and the end of Hamas, so that all may live free of fear and 
oppression.
  I hope that the memory of all who lost their lives on October 7 will 
be a blessing and that we will never forget them and honor them through 
action, honor them through the pursuit of peace and justice.
  I am proud to have visited as well with members of communities in 
this country that have stood with Israel, and I am hopeful that the 
bipartisan unity consistently shown by this body over decades will be 
continued. It needs to be strengthened. It has frayed, but 
bipartisanship has always characterized support for Israel.
  I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will treat this day 
not only with the solemnity and seriousness that it deserves but also 
with a renewed commitment to make this cause bipartisan, the pursuit of 
peace, support of Israel, an end to the humanitarian crisis, and a 
lasting, stable solution for the Middle East.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

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