WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the second anniversary of the October 7th attack:
“Today marks two years since Hamas terrorists launched a brutal and barbaric attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, including several Americans.
Families torn apart. Homes and Kibbutzim burned and destroyed. Thousands forever changed.
I have seen the scars of this attack and war up close — traveling to Israel three times to meet with Kibbutz community members, grieving parents, and Israelis scarred by the horror and violence of October 7th.
I have also met twice with Mr. Netanyahu, urging him to be a channel for peace.
As we mark this painful day, and as peace talks take place in Egypt this week, I am reminded of the Jewish teaching of “Tikkun Olam” — the call to repair the world.
It is my hope — my prayer — for an immediate ceasefire so we may see peace, healing, and an end to this unbearable suffering.
May we see the return of all remaining hostages, living and dead, so they can be reunited with their loved ones and buried with dignity.
May we see a surge of aid — food, medicine, fuel, and hope — into starving Gaza and the end of the utter inhumanity that has killed more than 65,000 innocent Palestinians, including thousands of children.
May we see safety and security for our democratic ally Israel, where the Jewish people have a right to live and thrive in their cultural, ethnic, and religious practices.
And may we see a plan for a lasting peace that includes self-determination for Palestinians — liberty, dignity, joy, and a rebuilding — in a state of their own. Long overdue is a continuous, democratic, and autonomous Palestinian State — in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Today and all days, we must not look away from this massive, man-made suffering. We must respond with mercy and moral clarity, and do our part to repair the world.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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