Kathy Manning: “I thank my good friend Representative Schneider for bringing us together to push for the release of the hostages. Mr.…”

“I thank my good friend Representative Schneider for bringing us together to push for the release of the hostages. Mr. Speaker, it has been 6 months since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel to carry out gruesome attacks, raping, mutilating, slaughtering civilians, and taking innocent people hostage. Here we are 6 months later and 130 hostages remain captive in Gaza. I recently returned from a congressional delegation trip to Israel. I saw firsthand the savage and diabolical nature of the October 7 attack. I visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities that was burned and pillaged. I saw the devastating destruction that resulted when Hamas went house to house killing people by throwing grenades in their homes, spraying them with bullets, and setting their homes on fire while young people were hiding inside. The deliberate cruelty was shocking, gut-wrenching, and unforgettable. Kibbutz Kfar Aza is where Aviva and Keith Siegel were taken by Hamas. Keith Siegel is an American citizen from my home State of North Carolina. For 6 months, Keith has been held hostage by these terrorists. I think about Keith and all the hostages every single day. Aviva spent 51 days in captivity and thankfully she was released in November. Since her release, she has spoken out about the horrifying sexual abuse and violence she saw Hamas use on the hostages. It is hard to imagine what the women still being held captive today must be experiencing.…”