Families of American October 7 Victims Seek Justice at Washington Memorial
Families of Americans killed in the October 7 Hamas attack called for a congressional investigation and US prosecutions at a State Department memorial in Washington on October 14.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper joined the families at the ceremony, which was closed to the press, Jewish Insider reported. The gathering came one week after the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack.
The people behind the names
Ruby and Hagit Chen attended in memory of their son Itay, an American IDF soldier killed on October 7 whose body was taken into Gaza. In his address, Ruby Chen recalled his son's choice to enlist rather than go straight to university, The Times of Israel reported, citing remarks from the ceremony.
Cooper described carrying a replica of Itay's dog tags, given to him by the soldier's father, Jewish Insider reported. The detail connected the military commander's presence to one family's loss.
Abbey Onn, a cousin of victim Carmela Dan, said in the families' statement that the American victims' lives must be remembered and those responsible for their murders brought to justice. The Times of Israel published her appeal.
What the families are asking for
“It is time for the United States Congress to create its own investigation committee,” Chen said, in remarks carried by The Times of Israel.
He also sought American trials for people who financed the attack and continued government support for bereaved families. These were demands for further action, with accountability extending beyond the terrorists who carried out the killings to those who enabled them.
Jewish Insider reported a further request from Chen: make the ceremony annual and create a permanent memorial in Washington displaying the names of the American victims. The families' agenda therefore combines investigation, prosecution and lasting public remembrance.
The federal complaint dates to 2024
The Justice Department announced the unsealing of a criminal complaint against six senior Hamas leaders on September 3, 2024.
The defendants named in that filing were Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka. The department described their alleged roles in planning, supporting and carrying out Hamas terrorism, including the October 7 massacre.
The seven conspiracy charges cover two forms of material support for terrorism, murder of US nationals abroad, bombing a place of public use, use of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism financing and sanctions violations. The allegations in a complaint require proof through the criminal justice process; the historical announcement is not a current account of each defendant's case.
A memorial after an earlier postponement
JNS reported on September 29 that a ceremony planned for September 30 had been postponed, without an established reason. On October 13, Jewish Insider reported the new October 14 date and the American Jewish Committee's involvement in organising the event.
The subsequent accounts from Jewish Insider and The Times of Israel document the ceremony's occurrence. Israel News Pulse could not independently obtain a complete official programme or transcript of the closed event.
A parallel recognition in Congress
The Senate had unanimously passed a remembrance resolution on September 30, the office of Senator Rick Scott announced on October 1. Scott and Senator Jacky Rosen sponsored the measure honouring Americans murdered and taken hostage by Hamas and supporting their families' pursuit of legal justice.
The senators' announcements cited at least 46 Americans killed and 12 taken hostage. Those are historical figures used in the congressional commemoration, not a count of people currently in captivity. The resolution's commitment to families gives the requests made at the memorial an existing point of reference in Congress.
