California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday described being shown horrific images of Hamas victims during his visit to Israel. He said they included people beheaded and that the experience had brought him closer to understanding the horrors inflicted on the Israeli population. ‘It connects to an understanding of the emotion of the Israelis about the atrocities that occurred, and about the 1,400 lives lost. It’s not intellectual any longer.’
Newsome spoke to reporters in Hong Kong after spending Friday in Israel. During his 10-hour visit to Tel Aviv he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as well as survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,400 people.
The war is entering its third week, with Israel keeping up a bombardment of Gaza as it prepares for an expected land invasion. The U.S. is reportedly urging a delay so that it can strengthen its force deployment in the region to warn of Iran and its proxies using an invasion to justify widening the war.
Newsom also described meeting a young woman from California who was shot by Hamas in the attack and a mother whose son had been wounded and kidnapped. ‘I listened to the grief and terror in a mother’s voice as she spoke about her son — a Californian right now being held hostage in Gaza — whose arm was blown off by a terrorist’s grenade,’ he said.
‘I hugged a girl — another Californian, born in Los Angeles — who was shot in the leg by Hamas and left for dead, in truly horrific conditions. ‘I grieved with families in mourning, I met with young soldiers fresh from bomb shelters and battlefields, and I sat with leaders who bear the responsibility of response to it all.’ Despite the horror, he said he was struck by a sense of resilience. ‘That’s the Israeli spirit,’ he said.
He also told reporters that he was working to see if his office could help in trying to rescue the California man, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. But he said he was not able to meet any Palestinians or travel to Gaza, although he was trying to have California send aid to the enclave.
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