Israeli President Isaac Herzog extended his “deepest condolences” to the people of Texas on Saturday night following flash floods that, at press time, claimed 50 lives and left 27 missing over the weekend. The floods were triggered by torrential rain across the Texas Hill Country.
“Heartbroken by the devastating floods in Texas,” Herzog wrote in an X post, offering his “deepest condolences to all the people of Texas,” as well as to Governor Greg Abbott, whom the president praised as “a true friend of Israel who stood with us in our darkest hour.”
Herzog also expressed sympathy for “all the families mourning an unimaginable loss, especially the young children at summer camp.” Among the victims were young girls attending a Christian summer camp, some of whom are still missing.
“We admire the courage of the first responders and rescue teams working tirelessly to save lives, and we hope and pray that more survivors will be found safe,” the president stated in his post. “The people of Israel stand in solidarity with the people of Texas during this painful time.”
Following a visit to the Camp Mystic site on Saturday, Abbott vowed that state rescue efforts would continue “until we find every girl who was in those cabins,” describing the scene as “unlike anything I’ve seen in any natural disaster.”
Last year, Abbott issued a proclamation stating that he had witnessed firsthand the “carnage caused by Hamas” during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre when he visited Israel.
“The State of Israel is right and, moreover, righteous in pursuing the elimination of Hamas, and the State of Texas will do everything in our power to support the Jewish people here in Texas and in their defense of their homeland,” he said.