First Lady Jill Biden and Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, exchanged heartfelt letters expressing their solidarity and support amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister made the letters available to the public, describing them as “personal and moving.”
In a letter addressed to Ms. Netanyahu, the first lady expressed her deep concern for the people of Israel in the face of what she described as an “unconscionable terrorist attack.”
The conflict, which has seen over 2,800 deaths reported on both sides of the conflict, has evoked heartfelt empathy from the first lady.
Ms. Netanyahu, in her response on Friday, thanked the first lady for her heartfelt message during these trying times.
She described Ms. Biden’s letter as “a ray of light” in the midst of “disheartening” circumstances and expressed gratitude for the unwavering support from both Jill and President Joe Biden.
“Your words entered and warmed my broken heart. Thank you. You are a true friend,” Ms. Netanyahu wrote.
“Bibi and I appreciate that and the unwavering support you and Joe have shown us,” she continued. “Today and always. At the moment, we share a broken heart, but Israel’s resolve will see us emerge victorious in this war of good over unspeakable evil. We have no other choice. Thank you for your prayers.”
Israel declared war on Hamas following its first wave of attacks on Oct. 7. Hamas terrorists took hostages in its surprise attack on Israel’s southern kibbutz communities last weekend. The attack included a barrage of over 4,500 rockets and saw over 1,300 Israelis slaughtered and more than 3,000 injured.
In response to the attacks, the Israeli military has said it aims to strip Hamas of “any ability to strike, harm, kill any Israeli civilians.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have launched targeted strikes on the vast underground network of tunnels in Gaza utilized by Hamas to carry out its attacks on Israel. The IDF says these tunnels are not used to provide safety for Gaza civilians, but to plan and launch terror attacks against Israel.
On Friday, President Biden compared Hamas to al Qaeda, the group responsible for the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
“The more we learned about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes,” President Biden said at an event in Philadelphia. “More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans. These guys make, they make al Qaeda look pure. They’re pure evil.”
“The United States, make no mistake about it, stands with Israel,” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have traveled to Israel in a show of support. President Biden said Friday that the United States is making sure that Israel “has what it needs to defend itself and respond to these attacks.”
President Biden said that U.S. officials are working with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, other Arab nations, and the United Nations to surge humanitarian aid for Gaza citizens.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas or Hamas’ appalling attacks, and they’re suffering as a result as well,” he said.
