OHIO, USA — The world remains in shock after an unprecedented attack against Israel by Hamas militants on Saturday morning.
Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself the subject of protests over his proposals to weaken Israel's Supreme Court, said the country is “at war” and vowed that Israel's military would "use all its strength to destroy Hamas' capabilities".
The surprise attack prompted elected officials in the United States to weigh in with varying statements of support for Israelis and Palestinians affected by the violence as well as the state of Israel.
In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine issued a statement on Saturday morning saying he and his wife Fran "offer our support to the people of Israel and condemn this unjustified act by Hamas.”
Later, Dewine’s administration named October 7 and 8 as “days of prayer for the people of Israel.”
In a declaration signed by DeWine and Husted, Israel is described as sharing “deep beliefs in the values of Democracy, freedom, and the rule of law” with the United States. It goes on to say the “State of Ohio condemns this evil act of violence and aggression against the people of Israel.”
9th District Representative Marcy Kaptur issued two statements on Twitter. The first, at 1:13 p.m., offered thoughts and prayers for the people of Israel after the attack.
Hours later, Kaptur released another statement in which she described the attack by Hamas as “unforgivable”. She went on to say “we stand united in support of Israelis and Palestinians and pray for compassion and understanding in the days ahead.”
Just before 9:30 a.m., Northwest Ohio’s other representative, 5th District Congressman Bob Latta said “Israel has an unquestionable right to defend itself from this evil, and the United States will continue to stand with our strongest ally in the Middle East.”
Senator Latta expanded on his initial remarks on Sunday, posting on his social media pages the following statement:
“The brutality and terror that Hamas terrorists have rained upon the Israeli people cannot be overstated.
Going from town to town and house to house, these terrorists have hunted and slaughtered innocent civilians. Women, children, and the elderly have been ripped from their families and murdered or taken hostage.
At a music festival, these terrorists unleashed their fire and murdered at least 260 innocent people. Many who were unable to escape have been kidnapped and taken hostage. And now, Israeli officials have confirmed that Americans are among the hundreds of hostages being held in Gaza.
This unprovoked and evil attack should be roundly condemned by every single person who believes in freedom and justice. Now more than ever, the United States must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our greatest ally in the Middle East as they defend themselves from this abhorrent and unjust attack on their people.“
In a statement on Saturday morning, Ohio Senator Brown said, “I condemn the horrific, unprovoked attacks on the Israeli people. These acts of terrorism, on a holy day, are an affront to human rights and our shared values of peace and democracy.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance issued a statement on Saturday afternoon, which took aim at Iran, which Vance insinuated funded the attacks.
“The horrible terrorist attacks launched by Hamas are an act of war. We must unequivocally condemn these heinous acts of violence against innocent civilians and the Iranian regime for funding the terrorists who carried them out.
Today it is of utmost importance that the United States stand with our allies in Israel and offer our prayers for the victims of these attacks.
We must also recognize the intent behind these acts of war. As our allies in Israel strive for peace in the Middle East, the Iranians hope these attacks will undermine the progress our allies have made toward stability in the region.
Israel has a right to self-defense – that includes striking back with overwhelming force against their enemies. Now as ever, we must support our allies in their fight for freedom and security. May God watch over them.”
Earlier on Saturday, Vance made a link between the nearly $6 billion in Iranian assets the Biden administration recently agreed to unfreeze in exchange for the release of five Americans imprisoned in Iran.
“As we watch this horrible situation in Israel unfold, Americans must face a stark truth: our tax dollars funded this. Money is fungible, and many of the dollars we sent to Iran are being used to now kill innocent people. This must stop.”
Responses to the statements by the elected officials highlighted the varied positions a divided electorate has taken.
According to the Associated Press, as of 8 p.m. eastern time on Saturday, it was estimated that the Israeli death toll stood at at 250 people with 1,500 wounded. In the Gaza Strip, at least 232 people were killed and 1,700 were wounded in strikes by Israel.
Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory from the more moderate Fatah party in 2007.
Since that time there have been four wars between Hamas and Israel.
MORE FROM WTOL 11:
