Reps. Crow, Waltz, Scott, and Bera Introduce Legislation to Reinforce US-Israel Intelligence Sharing and Prioritize Civilian Protection

WASHINGTON — Today, Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability and member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mike Waltz (R-FL-06), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), and Ami Bera (D-CA-06) introduced the 7 October Hamas Attack Evaluation and Intelligence Sharing Act. This bipartisan legislation would require a comprehensive report on Hamas’ attack on Israel, including an analysis of their planning, training, and whether other actors are responsible for supporting Hamas terrorists in their activities prior to the attack. 

The bill would also examine the US intelligence sharing relationship with Israel to determine how increased sharing can strengthen national security and assist Israel’s efforts to reduce civilian harm, improve the provision of humanitarian assistance, and limit damage to civilian infrastructure.  

“My years fighting terrorists taught me that intelligence is the key to effective counterterrorism, both to target terrorists but also to protect civilians caught in conflict zones,” said Congressman Crow. “This bill aims to reinforce Israel’s intelligence to ensure their counterrorism operations prioritize the protection of civilians, limit damage to civilian infrastructure, and facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid.”

“Over 30 Americans were among the 1,200 brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th and Congress deserves answers on the massive intelligence failures surrounding these attacks,” said Congressman Waltz. ”A substantive review by our intelligence community and greater intelligence sharing with the Israelis will give us much-needed answers to understand how this attack was carried out in the first place and how we can prevent future bloodshed.”  

"We need to examine every inch of the intelligence cycle to see how Israel and the United States missed the warning signs that indicated Hamas was training to execute the heinous attacks they ended up committing on October 7th. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward compiling the lessons learned from that fateful day,” said Congressman Scott.

“We need a comprehensive understanding of the means and methods in which Hamas was able to carry out its heinous terrorist attack against Israel on October 7. This bipartisan bill requires an assessment of the training, weaponry sources, and foreign support for Hamas in order to understand the intelligence failure on October 7 and to prevent future attacks,” said Congressman Bera. “As our ally Israel continues to prosecute its war against Hamas, it must do everything in its power to minimize civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. We must improve intelligence sharing between our two countries to mitigate civilian harm, continue our work to free hostages, and improve the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Recently, Congressman Crow joined bipartisan leaders in a letter supporting the Biden Administration's efforts with US partners to address Israel’s security and the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza. 

Read the full text of the legislation here.