On Oct. 7, the world witnessed the brutal, savage attack on the people of Israel by a terrorist organization fueled with hate and funded by Iran: Hamas . Eyewitness accounts of the inhumane slaughter of babies, children, women, seniors, and innocent bystanders have filled our media airways. We watched the atrocious crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by the Hamas terrorists.

Israel must neutralize Hamas. Their army of terror that kidnaps and massacres civilians must be destroyed swiftly to send a strong message to their puppet master, Iran . This is a war for humanity and the safety and security of the Israeli people. It is also an opportunity for the freedom-loving world to send a clear message to Hamas and all of the terrorist organizations supported by Iran: We recognize the danger the Iranian regime and its proxies present and will not be intimidated by it.

Today, Iran's target is the people of Israel; tomorrow, the world. If Israel doesn't act, the Iranian-backed organization, Hamas, will become more dangerous, entrenched, and emboldened to commit worse acts of terror. Make no mistake: For as long as Iran empowers its proxies to commit barbaric attacks such as the ones we saw unfold on Oct. 7, the entire free world is a target and in danger. This is why Americans need to care. When the ugliness of war echoes through our media over the coming weeks and months, America must stand tall for humanity and stand beside the people of Israel.

Hamas only knows one language: death and destruction. These monsters hide weapons in schools and hospitals and use women and children as human shields. They continue to fire hundreds of missiles at innocent Israeli civilians, knowing that many will misfire and kill their own people. The blood of every person starting on Oct. 7 stains the hands of Hamas and its leader, Iran.

The United States and its president, the leader of the free world, have an obligation not just to condemn Hamas’s attacks, which have claimed the lives of at least 32 Americans, but to point out how the attacks were made possible in the first place. Multiple reports confirm Iran’s involvement in the attack, including one that revealed Hamas’s terrorists trained in Iran in the weeks leading up to Oct. 7. Yet President Joe Biden has yet to name Iran directly.

Biden has also failed to give the public hope that we will get our hostages out of Gaza. Nor has he clearly defined his priorities in how to address the evil Hamas unleashed on American citizens in the region.

President Dwight Eisenhower and President Ronald Reagan gave us "peace through strength," but Joe Biden continues to give us wars through weakness.

Iran has played Joe Biden like a cheap fiddle. As it watches to see the United States's response, Biden has shown no leadership. He has remained silent on Iran's aggression, with a minimalistic reaction to the attacks on American troops in the region, to a large extent turning a blind eye to the "head of the snake" and its religious war on the free world.

Worse, his policies have enabled and even encouraged Iran’s aggression. Besides enabling the development of Iran's nuclear weapon program, his policies have allowed Iranian reserves to grow from $6 billion to $60 billion and the sale of Iranian oil to climb to $1 billion a week. Under the Biden administration, Iran believes it has no red lines, and I am afraid they may be right.

Biden rightly continues to say he supports Israel. But it is impossible unequivocally to support our ally while also empowering the regime determined to destroy it. We cannot be apathetic toward a nation that screams death to Israel and death to America.

Without a clear message to Iran and its puppets, they will escalate their attacks on Israel and all humankind. Very clearly, Biden must communicate to Iran and its marionettes our policy, our priorities, and our mission. America stands beside Israel unequivocally and supports its efforts to eliminate Hamas. We demand the safe return of all American hostages now. And the administration must immediately reemploy and enforce harsh sanctions on Iran, cutting off its revenue streams and holding it responsible for any of its proxies' actions.

We cannot fail. The future of the free world is at stake.

Roger Marshall is a U.S. senator for Kansas.