Pro-Palestinian student groups at Harvard blame Israel after Hamas attacked, murdered civilians

The statement quickly went viral, and its assertions have been widely condemned.

"We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence," the statement read, suggesting the weekend's events "did not occur in a vacuum."

"The apartheid regime is the only one to blame," it continued. "Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years. From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden."

The groups warned that "the coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation," and called on the Harvard community to "take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians."

Among the groups that signed the statement were the Harvard Kennedy School Muslim Caucus, Harvard Islamic Society, Harvard Jews for Liberation, and Harvard College Palestinian Solidarity Committee.

"Hamas acted with a savagery that can only be described as evil," author and activist Aviva Klompas wrote on X, "but these students are so steeped in hate for Israel, they they are cheering on terrorists and denouncing the victims."

Her sentiments were shared by Princeton Professor Robert George.

"31--yes 31--Harvard organizations have declared that the murders, rapes, kidnappings, and other atrocities committed by Hamas against innocent people are in no way the fault of Hamas, but are rather entirely the fault of ... Israel," he wrote. "Something is deeply, deeply wrong in academia."

"It's impossible to comprehend how it became that way, where the most clear evils are held up as good," the Manhattan Institute's Colin Wright added.

Hundreds of Israelis lost their lives over the weekend, with Sunday marking the highest number of Jews killed in one day since the Holocaust.

On Monday, the nation's defense minister announced that he had instructed authorities to carry out a "complete siege" of Gaza in an attempt to quell the violence.