Bipartisan group of senators watch Oct. 7 footage

A bipartisan group of senators joined a screening on Tuesday of footage from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Almost 40 Senators from both sides of the aisle attended the screening, which was closed to the press, according to a Senate aide. The screening was hosted by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog.

“On October 7th, Hamas launched the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history —  the single deadliest day for the Jews since the Holocaust,” Rosen said in a statement.

“Given the effort by some individuals and organizations around the world to distort and deny what happened that day, it was important that, as policymakers, we bear witness to the full extent of the atrocities committed by Hamas.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) were among those at the screening. Tillis posted about watching the footage on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday. 

“Today, my Senate colleagues and I watched footage of the devastation caused by Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack against Israel,” Tillis’ post read.

“What we saw was not for the not for the faint-hearted. Hamas is pure evil and must be destroyed. Hamas has made it clear that they will stop at nothing to eliminate Israel and its people. As Israel’s longtime ally and friend, we must do everything we can to support its efforts to defend itself and destroy Hamas.”

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also discussed the footage in a press conference later in the day.

“It was jarring and harrowing,” Schumer said. “It shook all of us up in the room. I had to go sit in my office for a half-hour alone after seeing it.”

A previous screening of Hamas attack footage was attended by about 150 House members, both Republicans and Democrats, on Capitol Hill a few weeks ago, leaving some members shaken.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the footage “harrowing.”

“I’ll never be able to unsee any of it, but it furthers my resolve to ensure Israel has what she needs to crush Hamas and get the hostages home,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) said at the time.

Updated 5:20 p.m.