Pete Ricketts: “I am going to say something that I don't think ought to be controversial--that Hamas should receive no U.S. taxpayer…”

“I am going to say something that I don't think ought to be controversial--that Hamas should receive no U.S. taxpayer dollars. But apparently some people think that is controversial. On October 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and to killing Jews, broke the cease-fire and attacked Israel. Now, this was not a military attack; these were terrorists who came across the border to kill civilians. They killed 1,200 Israelis and 33 Americans. Last week, along with my Senate colleagues, I watched an uncensored video taken from Hamas body cameras, cell phones, on surveillance television, intercepts of radio and telephone conversations. It was horrific. This atrocity was perpetrated by barbaric savages. We witnessed them shoot unarmed civilians. We saw the evidence of young girls raped. We saw the dead bodies of children, some burned beyond recognition. We watched as a Hamas terrorist decapitated an Israeli soldier. It was truly horrifying. Hamas started the war. They are responsible for every person who died on that day and every person who has died in Gaza since. They are a terrorist organization dedicated to destroying Israel. In fact, we heard some of the phone conversations from Hamas terrorists who called back their parents, bragging about how many Jews they had killed. It is absolutely horrific. We must stand with Israel until Hamas is destroyed utterly.…”