Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, top row, and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, bottom row.

The members of Maine’s congressional delegation denounced Hamas’ attack on Israel and say the United States must stand by its closest ally in the Middle East for however long it takes.

They described the attack, which so far has claimed hundreds of innocent civilian lives – including the lives of at least eleven American citizens – as one that was engineered by Iranian-backed “terrorists.” President Biden on Monday afternoon said it’s likely that Hamas is holding American citizens as hostages.

“I condemn the horrific, coordinated attacks against Israel by the terrorist group Hamas,” Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican who serves as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is a ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a statement.

“Thousands of rockets have targeted Israeli cities, killing and injuring Israeli civilians,” Collins added. “The United States stands with Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, as it defends its citizens against Iranian-backed terrorists who have demonstrated no interest in peace.”

Sen. Angus King, an independent who serves on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee and is chair of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, decried the escalation in violence.

“The Hamas terrorist attacks against our Israeli allies mark a deadly and dangerous escalation,” said King, also serves on the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence. “This tragic loss of life is heartbreaking and appalling. I am monitoring this situation with everyone in Maine and expect a detailed briefing on the conditions there soon. Our aim must remain to be stability for the people of the region.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, also denounced the attacks in a statement posted on Facebook.

“I am horrified by the attacks against the Israeli people and condemn them unequivocally,” Pingree said. “This unprovoked violence is unacceptable. Today the United States must stand beside the Israeli people on this difficult day and in the days to come.”

Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said he stands with Israel and is mourning the loss of innocent lives.

“Hamas has proved once again it has no wish to live in peace,” Golden, a former Marine who served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Its incursion into Israel is blatant terrorism that must not be tolerated. Israel is the sole democracy in the Middle East and our closest ally in that region.”