Sen. Cory Booker Recounts Hamas Attack Experience in Israel

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) speaks during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 13, 2020. Hilary Swift/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke out on social media about being caught in Israel at the onset of the Hamas terrorist attacks.

Mr. Booker recorded a video before leaving the country, saying that he was jogging when he received a call from his chief of staff urging him to return to their hotel because the nation was under attack.

“There were thousands of rockets being launched when I got back to the hotel,” Mr. Booker said.

“I joined others in the bomb shelter or the stairwells of the hotel, frightened faces,” he went on in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, late on Oct. 8.

“There were children and elderly families, many Americans. There was a sense, a fear and worry ... to many of us that there were horrific things going on around the country at that time.”

Israel was attacked over the weekend with a barrage of rockets and hundreds of Hamas operatives who invaded a number of Israeli towns, shooting civilians and kidnapping citizens and soldiers.

Worst Toll Since 1973

An Israel Defense Force (IDF) spokesperson said that roughly 1,000 terrorists participated in the initial Oct. 7 attack, resulting in more deaths in one day than any time in the nation’s history since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

The devastating results of the attack were echoed by Mr. Booker, who said in his video: “Hundreds of people have been killed. Thousands of people have been wounded in a level of attacks at a scale that is staggering and really has not been seen in this country for over 50 years.”

The lawmaker called for an end to the conflict, saying: “We who believe in peace and freedom and human rights for Palestinians, for Israelis, for all humankind, must reject those who use terror as their weapon.”

In the video caption, Mr. Booker specified, “My team and I are now safe, but like many we are shaken, angered, and heartbroken by the hundreds killed, the thousands injured, those taken hostage, and all who are directly affected by these sickening terrorist attacks.”

He also asserted, “After this experience, more than ever, I am committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate to continue supporting Israel’s security and ensuring stability in the region—and I hope one day soon, a long-term and just peace in the region.”

Mr. Booker and his staff left Israel on Oct. 8.

A statement from Mr. Booker’s office confirmed that the senator had departed early from the trip to Israel, where he arrived on Oct. 6 ahead of an “Abraham Accords-focused N7 summit on regional economic integration in Tel Aviv.”

He was to participate in the event as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. Booker was originally scheduled to remain through at least Oct. 10 for meetings, site visits, and a speech.

‘Horrific Acts of Violence’

“Sen. Booker and accompanying staff were in Jerusalem when Hamas launched their attacks against Israel on Oct. 7 and sheltered in place for their safety,” his spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers said in a statement on Oct. 8.

“We are grateful that Sen. Booker and our colleagues were able to safely depart Israel earlier today.”

In an earlier statement posted to his website on Oct. 7, Mr. Booker denounced the attack, saying: “I emphatically condemn Hamas’ horrific acts of violence, kidnapping, and terror targeting Israeli families, children, and other civilians in towns and cities across the nation of Israel.

“I stand with the people of Israel and the families of those who have lost loved ones.”

Bill Pan contributed to this report.