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We at the Republican Jewish Coalition stand in solidarity with the government and people of Israel. Am Yisrael Chai – the Jewish people live!

Here are five reputable conduits for your support to help the people and the soldiers of Israel in this difficult time:

• Friends of the IDF provides badly needed equipment and support services to Israeli soldiers.

• United Hatzalah volunteers use specially equipped motorcycle ambulances to bring lifesaving emergency medical treatment anywhere in Israel within minutes.

• Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva has been caring for huge numbers of people injured in the Hamas attacks and needs help to acquire essential medical equipment.

• PizzaIDF brings pizza and other favorite foods to Israeli soldiers at bases all over the country, to show them the love and support of people all over the world.

• This Israel Emergency Support Fund has partnered with key organizations on the ground in Israel to bring a variety of support services for the injured and displaced victims of the Hamas attack and for the soldiers going out to defend them.

All of us have been flooded with information about what happened on October 7 and in the days since, but here are some stories you may have missed.

• Israeli journalist Lahav Harkov reminds us via Twitter that "Palestinian terrorists killed more Israeli civilians in one day this week than in the entire five-year second intifada."

• The IDF says that Hamas' plan was to conquer and hold the Gaza corridor, according to the Jerusalem Post, but Israel’s response surprised them and defeated that plan.

• Israel struck back, with fighter jets taking out hundreds of targets overnight Tuesday and early on Wednesday, the Jewish Insider reports, including the Islamic University, an important operational and military center for the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.

• As of today, according to the US government, 27 Americans were killed in Hamas attacks and 14 remain unaccounted for. There is an unspecified number of US citizens confirmed among the hostages taken by Hamas and no information has been released about the condition of the American hostages.

• The AP reports on steps the US is taking to provide the IDF with needed materiel, including munitions and interceptors.

The Jewish Insider reports on a massive show of support for Israel on Capitol Hill:

Legislators in Washington introduced a number of resolutions and issued statements in support of aid to Israel and support for both the Israeli and American Jewish communities in response to Hamas' large-scale terror attack in Israel that began on Saturday.

More than 93% of the House — 409 members — signed onto a resolution, led by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Greg Meeks (D-NY), expressing support for Israel and condemning the attacks.

The article mentions a similar resolution introduced by Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Don Davis (D-NC), and also the resolution introduced by Reps. Claudia Tenney (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Max Miller (R-OH), Brad Schneider (D-IL) to provide $2 billion in supplemental Iron Dome funding.

We thank the hundreds of RJC members who have used our advocacy tool to send messages to their Members of Congress, asking for their support of the McCaul-Meeks and Nunn-Davis resolutions, and we thank the Members of Congress who have stepped up to support Israel at this time.

Jim Geraghty at National Review Online minces no words when he examines how certain Democratic elected officials and their friends responded to the horrors that Hamas perpetrated against Israeli civilians last weekend:

Push came to shove, and these groups and these members of the American government couldn't come out and say, "You should not massacre kids. You should not rape women. You should not parade kidnapped children before cameras."

This is the most basic moral test imaginable. No one is asking these lawmakers to abandon their desire to see the Palestinians prosperous and free — and let's be clear, a free Palestine would require a Palestine free from Hamas… Calling for "peace" when the Gaza Strip is ruled by Hamas is absurd. The only peace that Hamas wants to see is the peace of the grave for every Israeli they can find.

Further reading:

• Ilhan Omar stokes outrage with plea against sending US weapons to back 'war crime' in Israel

• "Squad" comments on Hamas reignite Dems’ Israel tensions

And on the other side: Jewish GOP House members call on Biden to ratchet up Israel response

These thoughtful articles will help you understand how Hamas' surprise attack succeeded at first, why Hamas must be defeated, and what the future may hold.

Lahav Harkov: Israel's intel failure: How did this happen?

Reuters: How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack

Eli Lake: Delusion in the White House. Bloodshed in Israel

Natan Sharansky: Now comes the test of who supports Israelis' human right to self-defense

Shoshana Bryen: Israel is at war against generations of hate

Walter E. Book and Alan G. Futerman: The moral duty to destroy Hamas

Elliott Abrams: The Hamas attack on Israel couldn't have happened without Iran

WSJ Editors: Biden faces an Iran reckoning

Stephen Bryen and Shoshana Bryen: Hamas assault shows terrorists can't be managed

Armin Rosen: The Gaza hostage crisis is an American hostage crisis

Contact information for our offices can be found on our website. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC. Read past editions of this newsletter here.