Ted Cruz shares video of Ashkelon house destroyed by Hamas rockets
The home visited by Ted Cruz the site of one of Israel's first casualties during the conflict: Soumya Santosh, a caretaker originally from Kerala's Idukki district in India.
By AARON REICH, ZACHARY KEYSERUpdated: JUNE 1, 2021 22:05Senator Ted Cruz: Boycotts and other attacks on the livelihood of Jews have been part of antisemitism for centuries.(photo credit: KAMIL KRACZYNSKI/ REUTERS)
US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) visited Israel and witnessed the destruction Gazan rockets caused to homes in southern Israel during the latest round of conflict with Hamas.
In a video shared over social media, Cruz visited a home in Ashkelon that was destroyed by a rocket. This home was the site of one of Israel's first casualties during the conflict: Soumya Santosh, a caretaker originally from Kerala's Idukki district in India.
I’m in Israel and I'm seeing the results of Hamas terrorism. A Hamas rocket destroyed this home and killed an elderly woman's caretaker. pic.twitter.com/uuFTgTRwKg
In a video, Cruz walked through the room and showed the damage the rocket caused, with the wall being completely destroyed and the interior an inhospitable mess of debris.
"All of this came from one Hamas rocket, one terrorist, who murdered a woman in Ashkelon," Cruz said in the video.
Earlier Monday, Cruz accused US President Joe Biden of showing "weakness" to Israel's enemies. Speaking to the Associated Press, Cruz said that this perceived show of weakness is going to spark further escalations in terrorist attacks.
“The longer Joe Biden shows weakness to Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran, the more you’re going to see terrorist attacks escalating,” Cruz told AP after touring Israel's Iron Dome defense system.
The Texas Republican arrived in Israel Sunday alongside fellow GOP senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Bill Hagerty (Tennessee) in order to see the damage that was caused by the fighting during the 11-day conflict, AP reported.Cruz also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. From left: Sen. Ted Cruz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sen. Bill Hagerty. (Photo credit: Haim Zach/GPO)
"It's very important to be here right now, to state unequivocally that the United States is on Israel's side," Cruz said in a statement."These are dangerous times, and Israel has both the right and responsibility to defend itself."
On Tuesday, Graham visited the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, which endured the bulk of the rocket fire originating from the Gaza Strip during the 11-days of fighting, as it sits less than 10 miles away from the border Israel shares with Gaza.
During his trip to Ashkelon, Graham met with senior IDF officials, visited Iron Dome batteries, and spoke with residents of the southern Israeli city to get an idea of what it's like to live under constant rocket fire, the senator said.
"My main message has been 'more for Israel," Graham said in comments preceding his trip to Ashkelon. "The more people that try to destroy Israel, the more Hamas tries to destroy Israel, the more Iran tries to destroy Israel, the more aid that the United States will provide to Israel."
After arriving in the coastal Israeli city, Graham visited the home of an Israeli citizen who lost her life during a direct hit on her home from a Hamas rocket.
"30 second warning time," Graham said. "People here in Ashkelon are living on alert all the time, and this is what these rockets can do, and when they are fired from Gaza they're meant to kill as many people as possible."
He noted that when Israel responds, the IDF tries to "limit the damage to the terrorists and not kill civilians," which directly contrasts the strategies of Hamas and the allied terror groups in Gaza.
"That's a big difference," he concluded.
On Monday, Graham met with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu praised Graham for being a "devoted friend and an excellent ally" and thanked him "for everything you have done over the years on the issues of Israel's defense and security, as well as on the Iranian issue."
Gantz also thanked Graham for his support for Israel and reportedly updated the senator on security developments following Operation Guardian of the Walls.
