J Street strongly condemns the attack by Hamas this morning in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and 2nd Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was abducted.

This action was a horrific violation of the 72-hour cease-fire agreement reached on Thursday, which had just taken effect.

We hope for Lt. Goldin's speedy and safe return to his family and we share in their anguish.

This is simply a tragic turn of events – meaning that more Israelis and Palestinians are condemned to suffer and die as the violence grinds on. We recognize Israel's right to take action to bring Lt. Goldin home and to defend its citizens and soldiers. We hope that such operations will be undertaken with minimum risk to both Israeli soldiers and the civilian population of Gaza.

We urge Secretary of State John Kerry and other international actors to continue working for an end to the violence, realizing that ultimately there is no military solution to this conflict.