Israel Attacks Condemned by President Biden as TV News Plans Special Reports: ‘Terrorism Is Never Justified’
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Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel Saturday, in which they fired thousands of rockets, sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip and kidnapped Israeli civilians and soldiers. The attacks started during a religious holiday weekend in Israel, and nearly 300 people have been killed, according to the New York Times.
President Joe Biden shared a statement regarding the attacks against Israel: “This morning, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the horrific and ongoing attacks in Israel. The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel. Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation. My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris posted a statement on X/Twitter, writing that Biden’s and her support for “Israel’s security is unwavering.”
Doug’s and my prayers are with the victims of the heinous terrorist attacks in Israel. @POTUS and my support for Israel’s security is unwavering.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 7, 2023
Celebrities like Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sarah Silverman took to social media to share their reactions to the attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group.
“At least 250 Israeli have been murdered and dozens of women children and elders held as hostages in Gaza, by Palestinian military group Hamas,” Gadot wrote in a caption on Instagram alongside a screenshot of a news story about the Israeli soldiers and civilians taken hostage.
She continued, “Starting early morning more than 3,000 rockets were fire. Hamas is holding hostages, controlling bases and settlements in Israel. There have been more than 1,500 injured and heavy fighting is still ongoing. ‘I hear their voices and they are banging on the door. I am with my two little children.’ My heart is aching.”
Curtis reposted longtime manager Guy Oseary’s post on Instagram, in which he wrote, “For Jews around the world, life will never be normal again. This is our new normal.”
NBC News broadcast a special report on the Hamas’ surprise attack at 6 a.m. ET, featuring “NBC News Now” anchor Joe Fryer and NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. They were joined by NBC News foreign correspondents Raf Sanchez and Richard Engel and foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
“We haven’t seen something like this, this level of sophistication, to catch the Israelis off guard and to keep this operation moving for hours now. This began at dawn, its is already afternoon in Israel. So, this has been going on for multiple hours now,” said Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent, during Saturday’s special report. “I think it’s very likely that we’re going to see an escalation in some sort of small-scale war, maybe bigger scale war, between Hamas and Israel. And I think we’re in the early phases of that right now.”
MSNBC announced the news channel will continue live, ongoing coverage of the latest developments in Israel, with Ayman Mohyeldin anchoring coverage live from New York starting at 8 p.m. ET. and José Díaz-Balart picking up coverage from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Fox News Channel is also presenting continuous coverage of the developing conflict in Israel, with FNC foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reporting live from southern Israel. FNC chief political anchor and “Special Report’s” Bret Baier will contribute to live coverage throughout the day, while chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin will report from the Pentagon with correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reporting from the White House.
NewsNation will present a special edition of “NewsNation Prime” to cover the war in Israel and the Gaza Strip from 7 to 10 p.m. ET. Chief Washington anchor Leland Vittert will co-anchor from Washington D.C. with “NewsNation Prime’s” Natasha Zouves and “The Hill’s” Blake Burman live from the White House.
CNN chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper will anchor “CNN Special Coverage: Israel at War” from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET. CNN’s Nic Robertson is covering live from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
Read more reactions below.
My sister and nieces and nephews are there. They’ve been protesting BIBI for months. Fight for a two state solution. Israelis are Jews and Arabs and all colors. There is so much complexity to this. But make NO MISTAKE Hamas is a terror organization who’s mission statement is kill… https://t.co/RzfeXk13Vr
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) October 7, 2023
The world is seeing appalling images.
Thousands of rockets raining down on Israeli cities. Hamas terrorists killing not only Israeli soldiers, but civilians on the streets and in their homes.
It’s unconscionable. Israel has a right to defend itself – full stop.— President Biden (@POTUS) October 7, 2023
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