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“‘About this time yesterday, I was jogging … in the Old City when I got an urgent call from my chief of staff, telling me to get back to the hotel as quickly as I could, that Israel was under attack.’”
That was New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker describing what it was like to be in Jerusalem during the attack on Israel by Hamas over the weekend.
Booker arrived in Israel on Friday to attend a meeting of the N7 Initiative, which aims to foster better relations between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries, a Booker spokesperson told Fox News. The Democratic senator returned to the U.S. on Sunday.
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“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,” Booker wrote in a post on X on Sunday.
Booker later released a formal statement denouncing the attacks.
“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,” he wrote.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza.
Israel formally declared war on Sunday, giving a green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides as of Monday.
