Condemn Hamas and Iran, Call for Hostages to Come Home
By Hank Russell
In commemorating the one-year anniversary, many elected officials continue to condemn Hamas for the death and destruction they caused against the Israeli people and the Iranian government for the recent missile attack against Israel. They also called for the release of the hostages still being held captive by Hamas.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attack killed over 1,200 people, many of them Israeli and U.S. citizens. In addition, 250 were taken hostage. It was the deadliest attack on Israel since it became independent in 1948. On October 1, 2024, Iran launched nearly 180 missiles at Israel, hitting some of its air force bases; it was the second attack on Israel by the Iranian government.
“On this solemn anniversary, we pause to remember and mourn the horrific events that took place in Israel one year ago today,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C,I-Pulaski) in a statement. “We honor the memory of the the lives that were taken from us and recognize the pain that continues to weigh heavily on the families and loved ones. Our hearts go out to those who are still being held captive, including Americans, and we pray
Many local elected officials Assemblyman Keith P. Brown (R,C,I-Northport) condemned the recent attacks on Israel by Iran and called on the Biden-Harris administration to release the hostages still being held captive by Hamas. These comments come on the one-year anniversary on the mass attack on Israel by members of Hamas.
Brown said these attacks have hit too close to home. “These horrific attacks on a U.S. ally threaten not only the state of Israel but also Jewish-American citizens around the world,” he said. “Israelis and the Jewish people deserve our undying support. The actions of the terrorist group Hamas and the Iranian government are heinous, nothing short of crimes against humanity.”
Brown is calling on the Biden-Harris administration to step in and do everything it can to ensure the surviving U.S. and Israeli hostages who have been held by the terrorist group Hamas since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack return home safely. Brown joined his colleagues in the Assembly Republican Conference and members of the community in Albany on April 2, 2024, to make a public plea to the Biden-Harris administration to bring the Hamas hostages home.
Omer Neutra from Plainview, New York and Edan Alexander from Tenafly, New Jersey both courageously served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as soldiers and were kidnapped by Hamas last year — both remain hostages to this day. Sapir Cohen, an Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for 55 days, continues to share her story of survival, visiting the Nassau County community and others throughout New York state and the U.S. — while she survived the terrifying ordeal and was released, her boyfriend Sasha Trufanov remains a hostage in Gaza. As of September 1, 2024, one hundred one hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
“While some were freed, the fate of more than 100 men, women and children, including Omer, remains unknown,” said Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), who is also president of the New York chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators (NAJL) and a member of the NAJL’s National Board of Directors, and who represents the district in which Neutra resides. “Today, as we pray for their safe return and as Israel defends itself against foes on multiple fronts, we stand in solidarity with our ally and reaffirm our commitment to its sovereignty and security.”
“We must do everything in our power to help Omer Neutra, Edan Alexander, Sasha Trufanov and all the other innocent people taken prisoner by Hamas return home safe,” Brown said. “Many of the innocent people taken prisoner by Hamas in 2023 were never released — sons, daughters, friends and neighbors have either been killed or have remained hostages for a year now. … I will continue to speak out against Hamas and its inhumane treatment of the innocent people they have terrorized.”
He said bringing home the hostages and providing justice to the families of the hostages and the victims of the bombings “need to be our top priorities. “My prayers are with the hostages who remain in Gaza and their loving families. … It is time the Biden-Harris administration steps in and brings them home.”
Brown noted the attacks on Jewish people in New York State and in this country. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), there have been more than 10,000 incidents of antisemitism since the October 7 attacks. It is the largest number of incidents since the ADL started tallying them in 1979 and a 200% increase over the same period last year.
The organization said that 8,105 of those incidents involved written or verbal harassment, 1,840 resulted in vandalism and 150 entailed physical assault. At least 1,200 incidents occurred on college campuses and another 2,000 took place at Jewish institutions.
“Everyone should be able to go about their day-to-day lives and practice their religion freely,” Brown said. “While the violent attacks overseas have inspired some Hamas sympathizers close to home, acts of violence against people on the grounds of religion will not be tolerated in New York State or the U.S.”
“The cowardly acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7 have no place in this world, nor do the antisemitic uprisings we have seen so frequently in the aftermath of the attacks,” Barclay added.