The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that its director, Christopher Wray, made an unannounced visit to Israel to meet with officials from Israeli intelligence during the ongoing war against Hamas. Wray also met with agents from his agency stationed in Tel Aviv, according to a statement from the American agency, emphasizing the importance of their work concerning the Palestinian Hamas movement and Hezbollah.
He reiterated the FBI's support for Israel following the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas. The statement quoted Wray as saying, "The FBI's partnership with our Israeli counterparts is longstanding, close, and strong. I am confident that the cooperation between our agencies has contributed to our ability to respond very quickly to these attacks."
The war erupted on October 7 following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of over 1,160 people, most of whom were civilians. Israel responded with a targeted bombing campaign, followed by a large-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which led to the deaths of 28,473 people in Gaza, the majority of whom were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The FBI's statement noted that Wray's focus was on his agency's efforts against foreign organizations that praise the attacks on Israel and threaten to attack the United States, both abroad and domestically. He confirmed that the FBI "has been and will continue to respond to requests" from Israel for support.
