The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel touches many of us and is emblematic of the very worst parts of the human condition. This unprecedented horrific act of despotism threatens to derail any hopes for a lasting peace and dignity for all parties in the middle east. No side comes out ahead in the face of such horror. Israelis and Palestinians all suffer now due to the misguided foibles of narcissistic, egotistic leaders who care little for the betterment of the people they are supposed to lead and protect.  

 

Collectively, our departmental mission is to improve the human condition through science. Acts of horror, regardless of your political preferences, are anathema to all of us. 

 

Israelis are telling me this is the worst horror inflicted on the Jewish people since the holocaust. Just off the phone with a close friend in Israel who shares unbelievably painful facts including that Hamas terrorists killed a room full of babies in the Kfar Aza kibbutz (2 km from the Gaza border). The numbers of dead and injured continue to rise and the conflict is far from over. 

 

Our hearts go out to those who have suffered from this cruel massacre, including those with friends and family impacted by this brutal, barbaric, terrorist attack.  

 

— Andy Marks