Biden lights Oct. 7 yahrzeit candle as Kamala Harris vows to see Hamas threat ‘eliminated’

WASHINGTON — In separate statements marking the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said they continue to support Israel’s war against the group and its allies.

Harris, who in four weeks will face Donald Trump in a bid to replace Biden, pledged to eliminate the group’s threat.

Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, participated in the lighting of a yahrzeit memorial candle at a White House ceremony where Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Adas Israel Congregation recited the El Maleh Rahamim prayer, traditionally said in times of mourning. He also called Israeli President Isaac Herzog to express his condolences.

Harris, meanwhile, on Monday afternoon planted a pomegranate tree at the vice president’s residence in memory of the 1,200 people killed in Israel. She was joined by her husband, the Jewish Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff.

“We all must ensure nothing like the horrors of October 7 ever happen again,” Harris said in her statement. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that the threat Hamas poses is eliminated, that it is never again able to govern Gaza, that it fails in its mission to annihilate Israel, and that the people of Gaza are free from the grip of Hamas.”

Biden in his statement said Israel had U.S. backing in its efforts to face down Hamas and attacks from other Iran-backed groups that have proliferated over the last year.

“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iran,” he said. “Last week, at my direction, the United States military once again actively assisted in the successful defense of Israel, helping to defeat an Iranian ballistic missile attack.”

Both leaders also focused on the sufferings of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who have faced Israel’s efforts to rout the terrorist group.

“I am heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year — tens of thousands of lives lost, children fleeing for safety over and over again, mothers and fathers struggling to obtain food, water, and medicine,” Harris said.

The messages come amid concerns about the role that the administration’s stance on Israel and the war could play in November’s election. A majority of Americans favor Israel in the war, polls show, although substantial portions question its conduct, but support has been lower among Democrats and Biden and Harris have faced sharp calls from the left to withdraw the United States’ support for Israel. The dissent is particularly strong in Michigan, seen as important for Harris to secure the presidency, where a large contingent of pro-Palestinian progressives say they plan not to vote for her in November. Multiple swing states are also home to large Jewish communities where many voters are sensitive to candidates’ comments on Israel.

The Biden administration has been frustrated with the Israeli government’s reluctance to come to a ceasefire deal with Hamas and Hezbollah, its Lebanese ally, although Biden officials say the main problem has been Hamas’ intransigence. Both statements also called for a diplomatic solution to the fighting in Lebanon, which has massively intensified in recent weeks.

As she and Emhoff left the tree planting ceremony, Harris took a question from a reporter about the prospects for a ceasefire.

“We’re not going to give up,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can possibly do to get a ceasefire hostage deal done. It’s one of the most important ways to end this war and highest priorities of this administration”

Top Democrats in Congress also made statements, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Jewish New Yorker who is the majority leader. “Hamas displayed such viciousness on that horrible day to try to scare the Israeli people, the American people and freedom-loving people of the world into submission — but they failed,” Schumer said. “We will never forget.”

Among the 1,200 people killed in Israel on Oct. 7 were 46 Americans. Seven Americans remain hostages in Gaza, of whom as many as four remain alive. Biden had vowed to reach a ceasefire deal that would achieve their release by the end of his term; now, Harris signaled that she would carry on effort if it extends after Biden leaves office.

“I will never stop fighting for the release of all of the hostages, including the seven American citizens, living and deceased, still held: Omer, Edan, Sagui, Keith, Judy, Gad, and Itay,” Harris said in her statement. “I will never stop fighting for justice for those who murdered Hersh Goldberg-Polin and other Americans. And I will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists like Hamas. My commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering.”