New York Rep. Dan Goldman, who found himself at the heart of the war between Israel and Hamas over the weekend, told Spectrum News NY1's “Mornings On 1” Monday that the events were “traumatic.”
He and his family were in Israel to celebrate a bar mitzvah when Hamas launched an attack that left hundreds dead, including at least nine Americans as of Monday morning. The Goldmans were inside a Tel Aviv hotel during the early morning hours when the congressman was awoken by the sound of sirens alerting residents of incoming rocket fire.
Goldman, a Democrat who represents New York's 10th Congressional District, covering lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, described the harrowing moments when they had just 90 seconds to reach the interior stairwell of the hotel, designated as a shelter for large hotels in Israel. They repeated this desperate dash multiple times in the morning, as the attacks persisted.
"It was a shock [having to wake up] three little kids, my wife," Goldman said. "And then you just started to look online and on local television, and you just saw the death and destruction and savagery and massacre that the terrorists exacted on Israel."
Despite the terrifying circumstances, Goldman and his family managed to escape Israel safely, but the horrors of the weekend have left a lasting impact.
“We experienced, I think, a traumatic experience obviously, and my kids are still feeling the effects of it. But it is nothing in comparison to so many in the south [of Israel] – grandmothers, elderly, children who were brutalized, kidnapped, murdered. It's unconscionable,” he said.
The situation in Israel has escalated rapidly, with Israel's military announcing that they have retaken control of all communities around Gaza and imposing a "complete siege" on the area.
The Israeli government also officially declared war on Hamas, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized "significant military steps" to retaliate against the terrorist organization. The death toll in Israel has reached at least 700, with most casualties resulting from various airstrikes. In Gaza, Palestinian officials report at least 400 deaths, and it remains uncertain whether the Israeli military will launch a ground invasion.
A State Department spokesman confirmed Monday that at least 9 Americans have been killed in the conflict; it's still unclear how many are missing.
President Joe Biden has already had a call with Netanyahu to express support for Israel, promising assistance to its military while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is currently in Beijing, condemned the Chinese government's response to the attack and urged them to more vociferously support Israel.
Goldman emphasized the need for unity from the global community: "This is Israel's 9/11, and we in Congress, we in the United States, have to stand up against terrorism. We must stand united with Israel to support its defense and the protection of its people."
"We need to give whatever support Israel needs," he added, before referencing how limited Congress is without a House speaker after last week's ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
"We need to have a functional Congress. We need the Republicans to get their act in order so that we can pass whatever legislation is necessary to make sure that we give Israel whatever support it needs,” he said, noting that Congress can do “nothing” while the House remains without an elected speaker.
Goldman said that he wants Congress to move fast, as Hamas is moving quickly to escalate the conflict. He also called for the group to be removed from power.
“I think what this war is revealing is that Hamas is a brutal terrorist regime that does not help or represent the Palestinian people. We need to eliminate and eradicate Hamas and remove them from power so that the Palestinian people can have leadership that actually invests in them and supports them and builds out a possible peace partner,” he said.
Goldman stressed that so long as Hamas is in control, “there will be no peace in the Middle East.”