(JNS) The surprise Hamas assault on Israel is a “stain on humanity” but it has proven that the bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said earlier this week.

The ambassador presented his credentials to President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, after his U.S. Senate confirmation was fast-tracked due to the war between Israel and Hamas, nearly one month after the most lethal one-day attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Lew noted he had met earlier in the day with the families of some of the more than 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including Americans.

“There are no words to explain the pain they feel and we share.” He said working to secure their release will be a “top priority.”

“The United States stands with you, we will work together and our resolve remains strong,” Lew said.

“A crisis is always when you’re reminded who your friends are,” Herzog told the ambassador. “This is true of people and true of countries. I am speaking for all Israelis when I say that never has American friendship been more evident or more valued than it is today. We are grateful for everything that the United States of America has done for us and is doing as we speak. We will never forget it.”

The president said Lew was taking up his post at “a tipping point for Israel and the region, maybe for the world,” after the massacre “that changed this country forever.

“This war is about much more than Israel and Hamas,” Herzog said. “It is about whether the world will accept the violation of our basic values as human beings.”