Flags across Texas are flying at half-mast today in remembrance of the victims and hostages of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Gov. Greg Abbott will attend a ceremony in Austin on Monday where he will read the names of the seven Americans who remain in captivity a year after the attack.
"Cecilia and I continue to pray for the seven Americans still held hostage by Hamas and for the Israeli people as they fight to defend their homeland from pure evil," said Governor Abbott in a media advisory.
"May we never forget the unimaginable horrors the people of Israel faced that day and continue to endure every day at the hands of Hamas. Texas will always stand with Israel."
The American hostages still in Gaza are:
- Edan Alexander
- Italy Chen
- Sagui Dekel-Chen
- Gadi Haggai
- Judith Weinstein Haggai
- Omer Neutra
- Keith Siegel
The governor has additionally requested that religious leaders light a candle at their next service in observance. Across the state, various governmental and non-governmental entities are arranging displays with empty chairs symbolizing the seven American victims separated from their loved ones.
Several other states, including Montana, Iowa, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Nebraska, and Massachusetts, have also ordered their flags to fly at half-mast in memory of the Oct. 7 victims.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel resulted in a death toll of at least 1,400 people, with around 250 individuals taken captive in Gaza. Today, approximately 101 hostages are still being held by Hamas. According to Blue Ribbons, a U.S. grassroots initiative advocating for the hostages, 64 hostages are presumed to be alive, while 33 are presumed dead.
Israel responded to the rampage with ongoing airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ordeal and most Gaza residents report living in inadequate conditions, many lacking essential resources such as water, food, electricity, and medical supplies.
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