Romney backs Senate resolution condemning Hamas after visiting Israel

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is among a bipartisan group of senators pushing the chamber to officially condemn Hamas militants and urge the group to allow for the safe return of hostages taken from Israel earlier this month.

Days after traveling to Israel with a delegation of lawmakers, Romney said he's backing a resolution introduced by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, on Wednesday, "condemning Hamas for its premeditated, coordinated and brutal terrorist attacks on Israel."

The resolution also calls on the Palestinian militant group to release hostages taken during the deadly incursion — some of whom are Americans and "known to be in dire need of urgent medical assistance," the resolution states. Israel has said at least 199 people taken hostage during the Hamas attack are being held captive in the Gaza Strip.

Romney, Rosen and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, are among those who traveled to Israel, and Romney described the "heart-wrenching" interactions he had with families of those taken hostage.

"Meeting with the families of hostages during my trip to Israel is something I will never forget, and my heart aches over the horrors they have experienced at the hands of Hamas terrorists," the Utah Republican said Wednesday. "I'm proud to join my friend Sen. Rosen in introducing this resolution to condemn Hamas and call on them to release all hostages. We also urge the United States to work with our friends and allies to ensure that everyone taken hostage is returned to their loved ones."

Rosen, who said she's the "only Jewish mother serving in the Senate," was moved to sponsor the resolution after meeting with those families in Israel.

"These conversations were gut-wrenching, and I promised them I'd lead the efforts to ensure these hostages were returned safely to their families," she said.

The resolution calls on the U.S. to "lead a global campaign to demand the release of the hostages," and demands that Hamas provide medical care and release all hostages.

Romney previously said Hamas is solely to blame for casualties in Gaza as the Israeli military conducts counterattacks against the enclave.

"Do not forget the lives that you are going to see lost on TV ... Israeli lives and Palestinian lives, are all the result of Hamas," he said during a press conference from Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday.

Hundreds of people were killed at a hospital Tuesday, according to Gaza's health ministry, which blamed the deaths on an Israeli air strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "barbaric terrorists" in Gaza attacked the hospital, not Israel's military, and President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the explosion appears not to be the fault of Israel.

All three members of Utah's House delegation issued a joint statement of solidarity with Israel on Friday. Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, introduced a bill that would prevent Biden from issuing visas to Palestinians to come to the U.S.