WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — Supporters of Israel rallied by the tens of thousands on The National Mall under heavy security Tuesday, voicing solidarity in the fight against Hamas and crying “never again.”

“March for Israel” offered a resounding and bipartisan endorsement of one of America’s closest allies as criticism has intensified over Israel’s offensive in Gaza, set off by the bloody Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.

Overlooking a sea of Israel and U.S. flags, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jefferies came together on-stage and, with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, joined hands. “We stand with Israel,” Schumer chanted.

A succession of speakers denounced the Hamas attack and what they say is a virulent spread of antisemitism internationally, “an embarrassment to all civilized people and nations,” in the words of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who addressed the gathering by video.

After “the largest massacre since the Holocaust,” he said, “let us call out together, never again.”

Ernst said Hamas’ brutality cannot be overstated. “They murder babies,” she said. “They rape women. They abuse the elderly. How anyone in America could sympathize with these terrorists is unfathomable.”

U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated the march a “level 1” security event, the highest classification in its system, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The designation means the event required substantial law enforcement assistance from federal agencies, the officials said.

Many of the demonstrators at “March for Israel” wore Israel flags wrapped around their shoulders, flowing behind them, or held small flags in their hands.

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