I lay out why Congress must investigate the October 7 attacks that killed dozens of Americans, why waiting hurts justice, and why Washington must use its full authority to get answers for grieving families. This piece mixes a personal plea with a pragmatic constitutional argument: when Americans die abroad under violent circumstances, our government has to step in. The call is urgent, clear, and rooted in national duty.
My son Itay was nineteen when he was killed on October 7, 2023, a day that took him from our family and from this country forever. He was an American citizen and he served; his loss is a wound that never heals and has left persistent questions unanswered. Grief alone cannot compel the accountability our nation owes to its people.
We know how the country has handled past tragedies: serious congressional probes followed major incidents that cost far fewer American lives. Those inquiries used subpoena power, they traveled when necessary, and they produced public records the nation could scrutinize. That pattern of oversight is the standard we should apply now.
RUBY CHEN: MY SON IS HOME FROM GAZA, BUT OUR FIGHT IS NOT OVER appears in public discussion because families demand not just condolence but investigation. Statements of sympathy will not preserve evidence or force testimony. The work of accountability needs instruments and time, and neither is guaranteed if Congress remains silent.
On October 7, forty-six Americans were killed, a number far larger than many past tragedies that did receive thorough federal scrutiny. Each passing day erodes physical evidence and dulls institutional memory. Waiting increases the risk that crucial facts will never be recovered.
BENGHAZI ARREST DELIVERS LONG-OVERDUE JUSTICE AND REMINDS AMERICA WHO FAILED OUR FALLEN is a headline that reminds us investigations can take years and still matter. The question is not partisan; it is about who answers for preventable loss of life. Accountability is practical, not theatrical.
We must pursue not just the people who pulled the trigger but also those who financed, armed, or enabled the violence. That requires a formal, bipartisan congressional committee with subpoena power, investigators, and resources. Anything less will be an exercise in symbolism while the truth slips away.
LAWMAKERS HOLD MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR SLAIN OMER NEUTRA AS THOUSANDS MOURN IN HOMETOWN SYNAGOGUE shows the human side of this crisis: communities shattered, thousands mourning, and families left to demand answers. Sympathy matters, but it cannot substitute for the hard work of oversight. Congress exists to convert grief into corrective action.
My ties to Israel are deep and personal; my son served in its uniform and paid the ultimate price. But allied governments can have political limitations that slow or block full transparency. That is precisely why the United States must be willing to exercise its own authority on behalf of American citizens.
The policy principle is simple: “kidnapping and killing Americans must” carry consequences. That standard has guided U.S. responses for decades and should apply uniformly regardless of the geopolitical messiness around an ally. If America protects its citizens selectively, we betray the very idea of equal citizenship.
Republicans who preach national sovereignty and strong borders should lead the charge for oversight, and Democrats who value oversight and transparency should join them. A bipartisan committee modeled on past investigations can rise above daily politics and focus on evidence, subpoenas, and sworn testimony. This is a commonsense, patriotic step Republicans will push for and expect their colleagues to support.
Families have waited nearly a thousand days for explanation and closure and they deserve better than stalling and deflection. Congress must convene, compel testimony, and publish findings so Americans know what happened and who was responsible. Doing so affirms that American lives matter equally and that our republic will not let questions about mass death go unanswered.
I cannot bring back my child, but I can insist that the nation he belonged to live up to its obligations. The work of a real investigation is uncomfortable and politically inconvenient, but it is the precise duty of the people we elect. Congress must act now, with clarity and force, and deliver the answers grieving families have been denied.
