After returning from a trip to Israel over the weekend, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., introduced a Senate resolution Wednesday demanding Hamas release all of the hostages the group is holding, including small children and the elderly, and condemning their attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who also traveled to Israel and is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the co-sponsors of the resolution.
Romney and Rosen visited Israel last weekend as part of a bipartisan delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is the highest ranking Jewish American lawmaker in U.S. history. While they were in Israel, they met with families of the hostages held by Hamas.
At a press conference in Israel on Sunday, Romney said meeting with the families of the hostages and being in Israel in the aftermath of the attacks was a “heartbreaking, heart-wrenching experience.”
In a press release announcing the resolution, Romney, a Republican, said he wants U.S. officials to work with allies to ensure the safe return of hostages.
“Meeting with the families of hostages during my trip to Israel is something I will never forget, and my heart aches over the horrors they have experienced at the hands of Hamas terrorists,” he said in the release.
The resolution starts out by “condemning Hamas for its premeditated, coordinated, and brutal terrorist attacks on Israel,” while recognizing the 30-plus American casualties among those killed in the attacks.
The resolution also “calls on the United States to lead a global campaign to demand the release of the hostages held captive by Hamas.”
President Joe Biden was in Israel Wednesday where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and gave remarks.
He said about the hostages, “I can’t speak publicly about all the details, but let me assure you: For me as the American president, there is no higher priority than the release and safe return of all these hostages.”