"I don’t want this to ever happen again," Graham stated unequivocally. "And the only way to ensure that is to destroy Hamas."

During their visit, the senators met Sigal Mansuri, a grieving mother who lost her two daughters, Norel and Roya, and Norel’s fiancé, Amit Cohen, all murdered in a shelter at the Nova Music Festival, and Sharon Sharabi, the brother of two brothers Yossi and Eli Sharabi who were hostages in Gaza. Yossi was murdered in captivity while Eli, thankfully, was recently released and is now back in Israel.

The tragic stories of these families represent the very real human cost of terror—a story that Graham and his colleagues vowed never to forget.

Standing before the delegation, Sigal Mansuri shared the final messages she received from her daughters, who had been eager to celebrate life on the night of the festival.

“They texted us,” she recalled. “They told me they were ready to have the time of their lives.”

By morning, joy had turned to horror.

“We were supposed to get married this summer,” she said, referring to her daughter’s fiancé, Amit Cohen. “Since that day, I have tried to keep their legacy alive.”

Mansuri, exhausted by grief, implored the world not to let their memories fade.

“I have one request: Please remember that behind each picture, there is a story. There is a person. There is a family. And we need you all to remember them,” she said.

Sharabi, too, issued a heartfelt plea to the delegation saying, “On October 7, my brother Eli’s wife and two daughters were murdered in Kibbutz Beeri. My other brother, Yossi, after 98 days, was also murdered by Hamas. This is a critical time. This is an unrepeatable opportunity to save all of the hostages and to bring them home. We rely on you, the US government, to make an effort to bring them home.”

Senator Graham, known for his strong commitment to Israel’s security, assured Mansuri that the United States stands firmly with the Jewish state and will not allow such atrocities to happen again.

"I’m here with Democrats and Republicans," he said, acknowledging the bipartisan nature of the delegation. "There is a lot of division in America, but not over this."

The delegation, which included Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Andy Kim (D-NJ), was also joined by Morgan Ortagus, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace. Their united presence sent a clear message: the U.S. stands with Israel, across party lines, in the fight against terror.

Graham further stressed that the release of all hostages held by Hamas remains the number one priority of both parties in Washington.

"The number one priority—Democrat and Republican—is to get them out," he vowed. "To help your government negotiate for their release—every last one of them."

At the end of his tour, Graham recalled his visit to Auschwitz two years prior.

"I was walking through Auschwitz, overwhelmed by how much suffering and barbaric behavior happened in the 20th century," he said. "I thought it was an anomaly."

But now, standing in Israel, 500 days after the second-largest loss of Jewish life since that stain in history, he recognized a chilling truth: evil does not disappear—it must be confronted.

"It has to be deterred. It has to be destroyed. And it will always come back if we are not vigilant."

His call to action came after the delegation toured the Museum’s flagship exhibition, 06:29 – From Darkness to Light, which features holographic testimonies from 35 women who lived through the horrors of October 7.

The exhibition concludes with the Room of Hope, where thousands of glowing post-it notes written by visitors hang on the walls, symbolizing prayers, messages to the victims, and aspirations for peace.

For Senator Graham, the visit to the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem was not just about remembrance—it was about action.

"My hope is that you never have to build another museum explaining how the Jews were killed," he said.