Jan. 17 (UPI) — Families of Americans being held hostage in Gaza, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, held a candlelight vigil Wednesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to commemorate more than 100 days without their loved ones.
“There are still Jewish sons and daughters being held captive by Hamas,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “We are here again because there are still Americans and Israelis who have not spoken to their families for 103 days.”
Six Americans remain unaccounted for since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel where about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 were taken hostage.
As the family members carried candles and photos of their loved ones, Johnson referenced the bipartisan group of lawmakers who support them and welcomed their visit to the nation’s Capitol.
“Congress is united in its opposition to Jewish hatred and in support for our friend and ally Israel,” Johnson said. “This attack, the first of its kind since the Holocaust, came because of anti-Jewish hatred and it is our duty to call out this evil.”
“I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to commemorate 100 days since Hamas’ brutal attack on Oct. 7,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who spoke at the vigil.
“When it comes to the safety of the people of Israel, we must leave partisanship aside and remain steadfast in our support for our strongest ally in the MIddle East.”
I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to commemorate 100 days since Hamas’ brutal attack on Oct. 7.
When it comes to the safety of the people of Israel, we must leave partisanship aside and remain steadfast in our support for our strongest ally in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/G0lK0Inw4p— Rep. Pete Aguilar (@RepPeteAguilar) January 18, 2024
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, along with Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Ben Cardin, D-Md., hosted the families during Wednesday’s visit and called out Hamas’ brutality during an afternoon news conference.
“For over 100 days now Americans have been held at the mercy of Iran-backed Hamas,” Ernst said. “Families don’t know if their loved one is dead or alive, and, as you see here, no parent should have to endure this.”
Rep. Kathy Manning, D-N.C., told those who attended the vigil that she was “overwhelmed” by the families’ “grief, by their courage, by the shared pain felt by the entire Jewish community.”
“I stand here with a heavy heart. I have spent the day meeting with families of young girls who have been held captive for 103 days since they were kidnapped on Oct. 7, the infamous day when thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtered, sexually assaulted, mutilated and burned more than 1,200 people,” Manning said, before reciting a Jewish prayer.
An emotional Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, followed Manning’s prayer by addressing the hostage families directly.
“To the families, there’s nothing that I can say and there’s nothing anyone behind me can say that is going to make this okay for anybody. But you have us,” Miller promised. “And I can tell you one thing being a Jew, and being a proud Jew, we always make it out of this because we stick together and we always overcome hate.”
The vigil ended with a prayer from the House Speaker and a moment of silence for “those lives that were lost due to this barbarism and those still held in captivity.”
