Durbin: The Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Should Be Resumed And The Hostage Returned Immediately
Durbin continues to speak for progress toward a second ceasefire phase and to address the significant humanitarian crisis in Gaza on the Senate floor
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor on the importance of ending the war in Gaza and addressing the humanitarian crisis. During his remarks, Durbin reiterated the need to resume the ceasefire and return the hostages immediately.
“I am proud of the fact that President Harry Truman was the first president to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and I certainly concur with that sentiment to this day. The creation of the state of Israel after World War II was almost inevitable if this group of people were to exist. The holocaust was a reminder of the prejudice against the Jewish faith and the enduring struggle which they had been engaged in for decades—if not centuries. It was the right thing to do. There were times in history when Israel stood with us, when we desperately needed their help and there have been times when we have disagreed with their policy. That has never diminished for me personally or for our nation—Israel’s right to exist,” said Durbin.
“What happened on October 7 was horrific. Some 1200 innocent Israelis were killed [and] butchered by terrorists under the flag of the Hamas movement. Unfortunately, they took hostages as well. I don't know the exact number, but I believe it was over 250 hostages were taken. Some still remain in captivity under the control of Hamas. Israel is defending itself and it has a right to do that,” Durbin continued.
Recent episodes of 60 Minutes have showed the continued pain and devastation from the war, including hostages still being held and considerable civilian death and destruction in Gaza, with children being a large number of victims. Last Sunday’s episode in particular highlighted doctors from Chicago, including those who had helped in the wars in Syria and Ukraine, sharing their stories of trying to treat innocent civilians caught up in the seemingly endless violence.
One of the doctors Durbin referenced on the Senate floor is Dr. Lisa Thornton, a pediatric rehabilitation expert from Chicago. Dr. Thornton described her first time seeing such war trauma, noting the estimated 15,000 children killed and 30,000 injured in the war (out of an estimated total 50,000 killed), and the thousands more who have lost a parent. Dr. Thornton coordinates therapies and prosthetics forinjured children, explaining, “our goal is to get them back to childhood”—a near impossible task amid the destruction and violence.
Orthopedic surgeon Samer Attar, also from Chicago, volunteers for the Syrian American Medical Society. Dr. Attar knows the horrors of the brutal Syrian civil war, and he said of his time in Gaza, “every day felt like a horror show.” He continued, “Imagine 50 people showing up all at once, and 15 of them are dead on arrival. And they’re all trying to get into the emergency room, and there’s no place to step. I remember one little girl just pounding her fists on the floor, just refusing to believe that her mom was dead, but they had to just forcefully pull her away to make room for incoming wounded because the pace of the wounded just doesn’t stop. They keep coming.”
“The scenes that were depicted last Sunday on 60 Minutes are heart breaking—two doctors from Chicago have gone there risking their lives to volunteer to try to save the children and the victims of Israeli bombing. And I’m sorry to say they have not been successful as they would like to have been. But they reported to us graphically what is going on there with the lack of medical supplies, the lack of hospitals, and [the lack of] basic food. This war has to end. If it is going to continue until every Hamas terrorist is killed, I’m afraid there will be thousands and thousands of innocent Palestinians lost in the process,” Durbin concluded. “The ceasefire should be resumed and the hostages returned immediately.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
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