Following the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, Georgia U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff, the state's first Jewish U.S. senator, shared his support for Israel and provided resources for U.S. citizens there.

Ossoff, who was in China on a bipartisan Senate national security delegation to Asia, has been able to provide his support via his public media accounts and phone calls to Israeli officials.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, Ossoff shared a thread of resources via Twitter/X on how U.S. citizens could contact the U.S. Embassy via phone or a Crisis Intake form that U.S. citizens and family members could fill out.

The thread also provides links to the latest alerts and messages from the U.S. Embassy in Israel site and a link for citizens to register their contact information on the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) as advised by the State Department.

In addition to sharing resources and links, Ossoff released a short statement on Saturday condemning the Hamas attacks.

In the statement, Ossoff revealed that he spoke with the Israeli Consul General to "convey Georgians' support for Israel and the Israeli people, and our outrage and grief at the murder of Israeli civilians," as he wrote.

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, Ossoff shared that he spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog via phone from Beijing to condemn the attacks further and express Georgia's support to Israel.

Earlier that same day, Ossoff and the national security delegation met with a few ambassadors from allied nations where he and "bipartisan colleagues conveyed to allied Ambassadors their support for the Israeli people and affirmed the importance of united condemnation of Hamas' terrorism," per an Oct. 10 press release statement.

On Tuesday night, Ossoff's team presented a statement on his behalf to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta's Solidarity Event, hosted by Dov Wilker of the American Jewish Committee.

In the statement, Ossoff shared his sentiments on the attacks and discussed the reality of the episodes for Israeli civilians

"Hamas' mass murder of Israeli civilians is an act of unconscionable brutality," Ossoff said. "Whole families murdered in their homes in cold blood. Children killed in front of their parents. Parents killed in front of their children."

He also discussed the severity of the Hamas' attacks on Jewish people.

"For Jews, these acts of utter depravity call to mind the savagery of the Nazi SS Einsatzgruppen who hunted and murdered Jewish families in their homes and villages during the Holocaust," he said. "Indeed, Friday's massacre across southern Israel may be the single most deadly day for Jews since the defeat of the Nazis."

Ossoff shared that the delegation has been cut short and will return to Washington to determine "what legislative response may be necessary to support our allies and protect Americans," per the statement.

In a closing statement, Ossoff urged Georgians with loved ones in Israel to contact his office for help.

“I want to share that for all Georgians with family and friends in Israel who require consular support, my office is in constant touch with the State Department and can assist."

Tags: Georgia  Atlanta  Jon Ossoff  Israel  Hamas