Edited by:  Fern Sidman

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has become the first 2024 Republican presidential aspirant to tour Israel since the bloody October 7th Hamas surprise attack in Israel’s southern communities, as was reported by the New York Post.  In a Sunday visit, Christie expressed his desire to witness the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack and gain a firsthand understanding of the brutality inflicted on the people of Israel.

“I came here to see with my own eyes what took place on October 7, and there are few words that can capture the brutality of it — dozens of men, women, and children murdered in their homes by Hamas,” Christie remarked on X.com, reflecting on the devastating events that claimed over 1000 lives, the Post report. Moreover, Hamas abducted 240 and are currently holding them as hostages in the Gaza strip.

During his trip, Christie visited a kibbutz that had been targeted during the surprise Hamas terror attack, engaging with survivors and holding discussions with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as was noted in the Post report. He also viewed approximately 40 minutes of footage highlighting the heinous acts committed by the Hamas terrorists. While he did not specify if it was the same footage shown to lawmakers in Washington, DC, Christie shared disturbing details of the footage, including terrorists boasting about killing innocent people and expressing joy in their actions, according to the Post report.

Speaking to CNN, Christie said, “It wasn’t just the inhumanity that they were doing — chopping off heads, burning people alive — but it was the joy they took in it,”  as was reported by the Post.

Christie recounted a chilling incident where a terrorist called his mother to boast, saying, “your son killed ten Jews with his own hands, your son’s a hero.” The Post report also said that another heartbreaking encounter involved a 23-year-old woman who survived a bomb shelter attack only because she was covered by the bodies of the deceased.

Expressing concern about the ongoing threat to Israel, Christie emphasized that as long as there are individuals focused on wiping Israel off the map and killing Jewish people, plans for the Gaza Strip’s future must take a backseat.

However, Christie diverged from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s stance on having the Palestinian Authority rule over the Gaza Strip post-war. According to the Post report, while Netanyahu is hesitant due to concerns about deradicalization and demilitarization, Christie argued that it’s too early to make that determination and noted a lack of volunteers to take over Gaza from Hamas.

Christie pledged to return to the US and discuss the situation in Israel regularly, emphasizing the need for Americans to be aware of the ongoing challenges faced by the people, the Post reported. He highlighted the lasting impact of the conflict, citing the lingering smell of death in homes even a month after the attack.

“To be able to walk through a neighborhood like this and see what was done to the people, to still be able to walk into one of these homes and smell the death still, a month later, is something that I think the American people need to know,” Christie said, as was noted in the Post report.

Israel recently revised its casualty estimate from 1,400 to 1,200 since the October 7th attack, while the Hamas run Gaza Health Ministry, regarded with skepticism, claims of over 11,000 Palestinian casualties since the conflict began, the report in the Post said. Christie, who previously made a surprise trip to war-torn Ukraine in August, stated that he was invited by Israel’s foreign ministry to witness the aftermath of the attack.