COLUMBUS—State Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, applauded the unanimous passage of Senate Resolution 214, which condemned the terrorist attacks against the state of Israel by Hamas and expressed support for Israel’s people.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel, including the elderly, children, and infants. The U.S. State Department has also confirmed the deaths of 30 American citizens. More than 2,383 Palestinians have also been killed in the Gaza and the West Bank conflict since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, according to the news organization Reuters.

“Israel is one of our closest allies, and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East,” said Johnson, who co-sponsored the resolution. “We in the Senate want to express our heartfelt support for the people of Israel, as well as our Jewish friends and neighbors in Ohio, and grieve with them in this time of monumental tragedy.”

A copy of Senate Resolution 214 was transmitted to the President of the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the State of Israel.