Sen. Cory Booker Safely Leaves Israel After Hamas Attack

The senator and staff were forced sheltered in place in Jerusalem when Hamas launched its attack against Israel.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) listens during a hearing in Washington, on June 16, 2020. Tom Williams/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and his staff left Israel on Sunday amid the Islamist terrorist group Hamas’ large-scale attack against the country.

A statement from Mr. Booker’s office confirmed that the senator had departed early from a trip to Israel, where he arrived on Friday ahead of the start of an “Abraham Accords-focused N7 summit on regional economic integration in Tel Aviv,” an event he was supposed to participate in as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. Bookers was originally scheduled to stay through at least Tuesday for activities, including planned meetings, site visits, and a speech.

The trip was cut short because of the surprise attack launched by Hamas on Saturday morning when Mr. Booker was visiting Jerusalem.

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

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

In an earlier statement Saturday, Mr. Booker denounced the attack, during which Hamas launched from Gaza thousands of rockets at Israel and infiltrated Israeli towns and communities, killing hundreds of civilians and soldiers and taking scores hostage.

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

Israel declared a state of war, the first time since the traumatic Yom Kippur War of 1973 when Israel was caught off guard by a coordinated attack on two fronts.

State Department Working to Verify American Casualties

Mr. Booker’s departure from Israel comes as the U.S. Department of State continues to verify reports that several Americans may be killed or kidnapped in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his department has not yet confirmed any of such reports.

“We’ve got reports that several Americans are among the dead. We’re working very actively to verify those reports. At the same time, the reports of Americans being taken hostage there too,” Mr. Blinken said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“We’re working to get the facts to find out if those reports are accurate.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Israel said on Saturday that it was “closely monitoring” the situation and that it was “aware that there have been casualties as a result of these incidents.”

“U.S. citizens are reminded to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire, often take place without warning,” the Embassy said in a statement, noting that U.S. government personnel were not allowed to travel within seven miles of Gaza.

American among Hamas Hostages, Israeli Diplomats Claim

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nation, on Sunday, alleged that “dozens” of dual Israli-U.S. citizens are being held in Gaza after the Hamas attack.

“I know that there are dozens—dozens, OK?—of Israelis holding American citizenship who are being held hostage in Gaza,” Mr. Erdan told Fox News. “There are many Israelis who have American citizenship, we don’t have all the names yet.

“We’re still working to get the names of all the missing people. But dozens are Americans,” he told the outlet.

Michael Herzog, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, on Sunday similarly said he “understands” that there are Americans among those held hostages by Hamas, although he doesn’t have any more information.

In an interview on CBS' “Face the Nation,” Mr. Herzog called hostages a “very sensitive issue,” adding that it would be “premature” for his country to consider getting the new hostages out.

“We [were] just attacked yesterday,” the Israeli diplomat said. “We understand that there are probably dozens of kidnapped Israelis and others in the hands of Hamas. We'll have to deal with it in due time.”

“We’ve had experience in that in the past. It’s a very complicated situation,” he added. “But I think it’s premature to discuss any deals or prices or whatever. Right now, we are at war.”