While on a trip to Israel to show his support for the country amid war with Hamas, Democratic candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District Tom Suozzi said there are two goals he has: release all the Israeli hostages and stop Hamas.

“This is not about revenge, this is not about retribution,” Suozzi said. “This is about stopping an evil actor from continuing their evil behavior. And it’s going to be hard and we can’t lose our resolve as the weeks and months go by.”

Suozzi is running against Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip (R-Great Neck), in a special election on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, to finish out the term of George Santos, who was expelled from Congress earlier this month.

Pilip is a former member of a Israel Defense Forces paratrooper unit who worked with weapons.

Suozzi, who arrived in Tel Aviv Thursday night, answered questions from reporters in a Zoom conference while streaming from Jerusalem Friday.

He said the purpose of his trip, which was funded by his campaign, was to show solidarity with Israel and Jewish people during the war.

“I’ve always had a philosophy that you have to go and see what’s happening on the ground, whether it’s a local issue or an international issue,” Suozzi said.

He advocated for the release of the Israeli hostage and expressed his support of Israel to stop Hamas, saying that it is the ultimate goal.

“They have to be stopped,” Suozzi said. “Hamas has to be stopped.”

Suozzi went on to denounce claims that Hamas is a thrown-together fighter group, continuing calls to stop the terrorist group. He said disinformation has been spread over the years that has contributed to sympathy and support for Hamas.

“This is a sophisticated, disciplined terror army that is set on destroying Israel and killing Jews,” Suozzi said. “And that’s their mission.”

He said despite the humanitarian issues associated with war, he supports Israel in its efforts to stop Hamas.

“It’s awful,” Suozzi said. “But Hamas has to be stopped.

He said he supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians, saying it is the “ideal” to be aspired for, but the issue lies in who will run a state of Palestine without causing further issues.

“My dream on this particular issue is that there would be a two-state solution one day,” Suozzi said. “The question is how to get there… but right now it’s not going to happen with Hamas.”

When asked about the settler violence issue in the West Bank, Suozzi denied to comment because he said he wasn’t informed enough and that there could be a disinformation campaign regarding it.

Suozzi said that while he is facing up against a Jewish candidate in the special race for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, a district with a large population of Jewish people, he said he has many campaign surrogates who are assisting him in connecting with these voters.

“I’m going to do it the way I’ve always done it,” Suozzi said, referring to his past successful campaigns in the district.

In regards to Muslim-American voters and potentially deterring their vote due to his strong stance in support of Israel, Suozzi said that he has close relationships with the Muslim community and has a history of supporting issues concerning them and hiring Muslim-American staff members.

He said he has been talking to them and will continue to talk with them throughout his campaign.

“This is not about being Muslims, this is about terrorists,” Suozzi said. “This is not about Palestinians, this is about terrorists.”

At Pilip’s rally immediately after announcing her candidacy, she claimed that Suozzi was part of “the squad” referring to a group of progressive members of Congress including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5).

Suozzi denied the claims, saying that while he agrees with them on some issues they differ in their support, or lack thereof, for Israel and many other issues.

He went on to say that false claims and attacks like this are what is “killing our country” and that constituents are fed up with this sort of campaign tactic.

“We’ve got real problems in our country,” Suozzi said. “…We’ve got a lot of complicated problems. You’re not going to solve complicated problems in an environment of pure anger with people just trying to do sound bites.”

On the first day of his trip to Israel, Suozzi said he met with the parents of Omer Neutra – a 22-year-old IDF soldier from Plainview who was taken hostage by Hamas. Neutra is a recent graduate of the Schechter School of Long Island in Williston Park.

Suozzi was wearing Neutra’s dog tag whilst speaking with reporters.

He said he also visited a kibbutz, or a traditionally agriculture-based community, that was impacted by the war. He said more than 60 people from the community were killed by Hamas and 19 taken hostage – with five still being held by Hamas.

“Awful, awful devastation of places that have been bombed by rockets, bulletholes, blood-stained dirt where people had bled to death,” Suozzi said.

He said on Saturday he plans to attend Catholic mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as well as visit a soldier from Great Neck who was injured during the war.