PORTLAND, Ore. — Monday marks one year since the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering a year of war with over 41,000 people now dead in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Hamas militants took 254 people hostage, and around 100 are still in captivity, including 4 Americans.
"The Biden administration is going to push hard, and I'm going to work with them to get the hostages out, to get the humanitarian aid in," Oregon's U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said Monday, speaking at the Oregon Jewish Museum. "I, as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, will do everything I possibly can to promote a two-state solution that recognizes both the rights of the Israelites and the Palestinians."
Wyden participated a roundtable discussion at the museum in Northwest Portland on Monday, speaking with museum officials and board members to reflect on the one-year anniversary of the attacks. Speakers called it Israel's version of 9/11 and a date that shouldn't be forgotten.
"On the solemn anniversary of October 7 and the terrorist attacks in Israel, this place of remembrance also reminds all of us of the horrors that befell the Jewish people when they were left without allies," Wyden said in his opening remarks. "As we reflect on pain and the tears of the slaughter last year, I want to start by praying fervently during the holiest days of the Jewish calendar for the safe return of the hostages."
He said the United States continues to stand with Israel and peace remains "the ultimate goal that allows Jewish parents and Palestinian parents to live in peace for the days ahead."
As the conflict continues and has escalated in recent days, Wyden was asked about whether American troops would be sent to Israel to help fight the war in Gaza and beyond.
"We've assisted in terms of personnel and making sure that we have equipment in the area, but there's no proposal on offer for American troops," he said.