IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1537 

Condemning the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and calling for Hamas 

and its leaders to immediately and unconditionally surrender and to 

release the hostages, including Americans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 8, 2024 

Mr. GOTTHEIMER (for himself, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. WILSON

of South Carolina, Mrs. KIM of California, Mr. ALFORD, Mr. ALLRED, 

Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. BACON, Mr. BEAN of Florida, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. 

BERA, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN, 

Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. CARAVEO, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. CASE, Ms. 

CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. CISCOMANI, Mr. COHEN, Mr. COSTA, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. D’ESPOSITO, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, 

Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. DUNN of Florida, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. FEENSTRA, 

Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mrs. FLETCHER, Mr. FLOOD, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, Mr. GOLDMAN of 

New York, Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of 

Texas, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. HOYER, Ms. 

HOYLE of Oregon, Mr. ISSA, Mr. JACKSON of North Carolina, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Ms. 

KAPTUR, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. 

LALOTA, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr. LATTA, Mr. LAWLER, Ms. LEE of Nevada, 

Mr. LIEU, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Ms. MANNING, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. MENG, Mr. MILLER of 

Ohio, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. MOLINARO, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. 

MOORE of Utah, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NICKEL, Mr. 

NORCROSS, Mr. NUNN of Iowa, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. 

PAPPAS, Mrs. PELTOLA, Mr. PENCE, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PEREZ, Ms. 

PETTERSEN, Mr. PFLUGER, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. POSEY, Mr. QUIGLEY, 

Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. RULLI, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. RYAN, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. 

SCHOLTEN, Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SHERMAN, 

Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. SORENSEN, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 

SPANBERGER, Mr. STANTON, Ms. STEFANIK, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. SWALWELL, Mrs. SYKES, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. 

THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Ms. TITUS, Mrs. TORRES


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of California, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. TRONE, Mr. TURNER, Mr. 

VALADAO, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Mrs. WAGNER, 

Mr. WALTZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Ms. 

WILD, Mr. WILLIAMS of New York, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Mr. YAKYM) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and 

calling for Hamas and its leaders to immediately and 

unconditionally surrender and to release the hostages, 

including Americans. 

Whereas Hamas is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, with a founding charter that 

calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the 

mass murder of Jews; 

Whereas, since its creation, Hamas terrorists have repeatedly 

attacked Israel, including through bombings, shootings, 

rocket attacks, and kidnappings; 

Whereas Hamas has reignited multiple wars with Israel and 

has fired thousands of rockets directly at civilians in 

Israeli cities and towns; 

Whereas Hamas uses civilian infrastructure such as schools, 

hospitals, and homes for their military operations, intentionally using civilians as human shields; 

Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas violated an existing 

cease-fire, and with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, other terrorist groups, and Gaza civilians infiltrated Israel, invaded Israeli towns, launched thousands of rockets into 

Israel, brutally murdered, raped, and burned alive more 

than 1,200 individuals, took 251 hostages, including 


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Americans and citizens of more than 40 countries, and 

destroyed and looted entire communities; 

Whereas 105 hostages were released in a negotiated hostage 

deal in November 2023, following mediation efforts led 

by the United States; 

Whereas Hamas killed more than 40 Americans on and after 

October 7, including murdering Hersh Goldberg-Polin 

who spent more than 300 days in captivity as a hostage; 

Whereas Hamas still holds 7 American hostages: Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judith Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel; 

Whereas Hamas refuses to allow humanitarian organizations, 

such as the International Committee of the Red Cross to 

visit and provide medical care to the hostages; 

Whereas Hamas committed brutal acts of sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual mutilation, and Israeli officials have gathered eyewitness testimony, video recordings, and forensic evidence proving these atrocities; 

Whereas released hostages have bravely come forward and 

confirmed they were victims of sexual assault and witnessed the sexual abuse of fellow hostages while in captivity; 

Whereas, in March 2024, 5 months after October 7, the 

United Nation’s Special Representative of the Secretary 

General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and her team 

found ‘‘clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman, 

and degrading treatment has been committed against 

hostages’’; 

Whereas a senior Hamas official openly promised a ‘‘second, 

third, fourth’’ October 7-style attack against Israel; 


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Whereas, even today, Hamas continues to fire rockets, including from within designated humanitarian zones, into 

Israel and uses civilians as human shields; 

Whereas Israel, like other sovereign states, has a right to defend herself from terrorist organizations and others who 

seek its destruction and annihilation, such as Iranianbacked proxies, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic 

Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq and 

Syria; 

Whereas, since October 7, these Iranian proxy groups have 

fired thousands of rockets, mortars, antitank missiles, 

and explosive UAVs into Israel, and have attacked American and other allied servicemembers, bases, and ships in 

the Middle East region; 

Whereas, since October 8, Hezbollah has fired thousands of 

rockets into northern Israel and forced the mass displacement of Israeli civilians from the country’s north; 

Whereas, on April 13, Iran launched over 300 missiles and 

drones at Israel, the first ever direct attack against Israel 

launched from Iranian soil; 

Whereas the Administration worked with regional partners to 

counter Iran’s attack, and the Administration has deployed military assets to the region to deter further aggression from Tehran and its regional proxies; 

Whereas Congress passed and the United States Administration signed into law a supplemental aid package that provides crucial military resources and humanitarian aid; 

and 

Whereas, in the aftermath of Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks, there has been a worldwide surge in antisemitism, 

impacting Jewish communities globally, including rising 


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physical assaults, vandalism, and harassment targeting 

Jews: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the atrocities committed by 

3 Hamas on October 7, the deadliest day for the Jew4 ish people since the Holocaust, and those that con5 tinue to be perpetrated by the terrorist organization, 

6 including the use of sexual violence as a tool of war; 

7 (2) calls for Hamas to immediately surrender, 

8 cease its attacks against Israel, and release all re9 maining hostages; 

10 (3) reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense from 

11 threats and terrorist organizations that seek her de12 struction; 

13 (4) commits to ensuring that humanitarian aid 

14 reaches Palestinian noncombatants; 

15 (5) urges international organizations, like the 

16 United Nations and all nations across the globe, to 

17 unequivocally denounce this attack and the ongoing 

18 atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists and call 

19 for the immediate release of the hostages; and 

20 (6) strongly condemns and denounces all in21 stances of antisemitism globally, domestically, in22 cluding on college campuses and commits to conVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:55 Oct 08, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1537.IH HR1537

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1 fronting and combating this hatred in all its forms 

2 and at every level. 

Æ 


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