The five Republican presidential candidates who participated in Wednesday's debate all expressed nearly unconstrained support for Israel amid its war with Hamas.

"I would be telling [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu], 'Finish the job once and for all with these butchers,'" Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said during the debate.

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His statement of support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas, the terrorist group and de facto government of Gaza, which carried out the worst terrorist attacks in the country's history on Oct. 7, was similar to remarks made by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

"The first thing I said to him when it happened was I said, 'Finish them, finish them,"' Haley said. "And the reason is, I worked on this every day when I was at the United Nations. And we have to remember that they have to 1. Eliminate Hamas, 2. Support Israel with whatever they need whenever they need it, and 3. Make sure we bring our hostages home."

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy distanced himself from the other candidates, saying he would want "to be careful to avoid making the mistakes from the neocon establishment of the past. Corrupt politicians in both parties spent trillions, killed millions, made billions for themselves in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting wars that sent thousands of our sons and daughters, people my age, to die."

None of the candidates criticized Israel's significant military response, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of much of Gaza's infrastructure. The Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry has said more than 10,000 people have been killed since Oct. 7, though that total does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, and the White House has cast doubt on the veracity of their tally.

The first stage of Israel's war was via the air and included the firing of thousands of airstrikes, which has resulted in a still worsening humanitarian situation in which more than a million people have been displaced. None of the candidates called for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, which is a stance the Biden administration is pursuing.

The candidates also criticized pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses. There have been incidents, sometimes violent and sometimes antisemitic, on campuses as emotions regarding the conflict remain high.

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Scott and DeSantis said they would revoke students' visas if they were caught supporting Hamas, while Ramaswamy warned that prohibiting or punishing students who do would effectively amount to "censorship."

While many of the candidates rebuked the increase in antisemitism that has taken place since Oct. 7, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was the only one to mention supporting the Muslim community in the United States. He said he went "from mosque to mosque in New Jersey" following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to assure them that "law enforcement is on your side to protect you regardless of your religion."