U.S. Senator Steve Daines appeared on Fox Business to discuss Israel’s recent actions against senior Hamas leaders and the broader conflict in the Middle East. During the interview, Daines reflected on the approaching two-year anniversary of October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out an attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 300 hostages.
Daines stated: “I think we have to step back and remember we’re coming up on the two -year anniversary of October 7th, 2023, when Hamas launched the worst terror attack in Israel’s history, slaughtering 1,200 innocent Israelis and taking 300 hostages. There will not be peace in Gaza or in Israel until Hamas is eradicated. That is a cancer that must be eradicated. Imagine for a moment, Stuart,that 40 miles away from Washington, D.C., you had terrorists. That’s how far Gaza is from Tel Aviv, about 50 miles from Jerusalem. Imagine if we had a bunch of terrorists 40 miles from Washington who slaughtered 1,200 Americans and took 300 hostages. We would not hesitate for a moment to eradicate the source of the threat. That’s Hamas. Israel’s exactly right in taking the fight to Hamas, eradicating the cancer. Until they do that, you’re not going to see peace and relief for the Palestinians as well as for the Israelis.”
He also commented on prospects for ending hostilities and emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense: “Well, I think we all hope and pray the sooner the better, but ultimately, we’ve got to allow Israel to do what it needs to do to protect herself. It’s right in her neighborhood. Forty miles from Tel Aviv is where Gaza is, and until Hamas is eradicated, there will not be peace, there will not be any kind of restoration of normalcy. That’s why Israel needs to be allowed to take the fight to Hamas and eradicate Hamas.”
Addressing comments by Zohran Mamdani regarding Hamas leadership and values among political figures in New York City politics, Daines said: “It’s just chilling, frightening, when you think about somebody who could be the next mayor of New York with those kinds of values, and a complete lack of any kind of moral clarity. That’s why I’m thankful of President Trump, for Marco Rubio, for Bibi Netanyahu. They have moral clarity in this moment, and they know who the good guys are, and the bad guys are. Look,the bad guys are Hamas.They need to be eradicated.”
The full interview with Senator Daines can be viewed online.
