Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Respond To Hamas Attack On Israel At Their Archewell Foundation Event

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry posted a statement entitled “With Heavy Hearts” on their Archewell Foundation website, where they asserted that they “stand against all acts of terrorism.”

King Charles, Kate Middleton and Prince William made their own separate pronouncements on the conflict. 

William and Kate’s spokesperson stated on Wednesday, “The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days. The horror inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them.”

The spokesperson continued the statement, “As Israel exercises its right of self-defense, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”

William visited Israel in 2018 and traveled solo in Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian Territories for four days, with stops at Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Jerusalem.

King Charles’ spokesperson spoke on his behalf, “This is a situation His Majesty is extremely concerned about, and he has asked to be kept actively updated.”

The spokesperson continued, “His thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved as we speak. His Majesty is appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel.”

Charles also had a phone call with President Isaac Herzog of Israel and King Abdullah of Jordan on Wednesday afternoon. Charles had previously welcomed Herzog to Highgrove House when the president visited England in 2021. King Abdullah attended the May coronation with his wife, Queen Tania.

These statements come in response to the surprise attack on Israel on October 7. Hamas, a transnational Sunni Islamist group first formed in Egypt, launched a surprise attack on Israel and killed over 1,200 citizens.

In response to the attacks by Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah (also supported by Iran), Israel declared war on Hamas and mobilized roughly 360,000 army reserves. Israel has executed thousands of strikes on cities in the blockaded strip, which has killed over 1,000 Palestinians and destroyed dozens of buildings.

In an interview with NPR, Hamas official Ali Barakeh, based in Lebanon, said the attack came in response to “Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and the West Bank.” The goal was to “break the blockade on the Gaza Strip.” He also said it was meant to free thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.