Nikki Haley: 'This is not just an attack on Israel, this is an attack on America'

Former UN ambassador and governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, told Fox News on Saturday that the heinous attack by Hamas against Israel was also an attack on America.

“Communities were bombarded, families were murdered. Women and children were taken hostage, dragged through the streets. The elderly were taken. All of this has happened in front of everyone, on top of thousands of rockets that hit Israel,” Haley said.

“This should be personal for every woman and man in America. Why? Because when they did this surprise attack, when they took these hostages, when they murdered these families, they were celebrating. And what were they celebrating? They were saying 'Death to Israel, Death to America.' This is not just an attack on Israel, this is an attack on America because they hate us just as much.”

Nikki Haley stressed that the United States needs to be there for Israel.

“What we have to understand is that this is the reason that we have to unite around making sure our enemies do not hurt our friends. America can never be so arrogant to think we don’t need friends. Just like we needed them on 9/11. That’s why Ukraine needs us when Russia is doing this, that’s why Israel needs us when Hamas and Iran are doing this.”

Nikki Haley concluded with a statement directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “finish” Hamas.

“I’ll say this to Prime Minister Netanyahu: Finish them. Hamas did this, you know Iran is behind it, finish them. They should have hell to pay for what they did.”

As the UN ambassador to the U.S. under the Trump administration, Haley introduced a resolution to condemn Hamas, but the United States was the only member of the UN Security Council to vote for it.

“This is what Israel is up against: a world that denies the evil in front of them. We did not bow to world pressure then—we won't now,” Haley posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.

Haley, who is running to become the Republican presidential candidate, has also been very critical of the Biden administration’s release of $6 billion to Iran, which the administration has refused to acknowledge played a role in funding the attack on Israel.

Instead, Biden's administration has insisted that the money would only be used for humanitarian purposes, such as medical supplies, food and medicine.

“I actually think it was irresponsible for Secretary Blinken to say that the $6 billion doesn't weigh in here,” Haley said.

“I mean, let's be honest with the American people and understand that Hamas knows and Iran knows they're moving money around as we speak because they know $6 billion is going to be released. That's the reality.”

Senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah told The Wall Street Journal that officers of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) helped Hamas plan its Saturday surprise attack against Israel over several months since August.