EXCLUSIVE: Republican Sen. Joni Ernst recounts horrors experienced by American and Israeli victims of Hamas’ BARBARIC rampage while on the ground in Israel and blames Biden for Iran’s emboldenment

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst calls Hamas terrorists barbaric ‘animals’ after meeting with American and Israeli victims of the bloody rampage on the ground in Israel.

“These are animals, barbarians filled with hatred towards Jewish people,” Ernst told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview about Hamas.

Ernst, who serves as the co-chair of the Abraham Accords caucus, led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan this past week to meet with top leaders in the region. The group touched down in Israel on Tuesday, three days since the deadly Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 – including 25 Americans.

The worst part of her trip was sitting with American and Israeli citizens in Israel who were subjected to the ‘atrocities’ during the brutal Hamas attack.

An Israeli brother and sister saw their 80-year-old father taken hostage by the terrorist. Their brother was killed in the same event, and their mother only escaped because of the ‘heroic’ actions of their father, Ernst said.

The senator said she spoke with American and Israeli witnesses who saw women raped and babies taken away, and their own family members brutally murdered in their own homes.

She said that the terrorists were so barbaric that they would return to the homes of those they had just killed looking for survivors to kill or take hostage.

One of the Americans they spoke to had come straight from the funeral of his 18-year-old best friend to meet with the lawmakers, she said.

“It was very, very emotional,” Ernst said. “This is a horrible, horrible, tragic situation for Israel.”

As for Americans trying to escape Israel, Ernst said she has been in contact with a group in Iowa to help their efforts to leave.

The Iowa Gospel Assembly Church on a Bible-based tour has been rebooked on a Saturday flight.

The Biden administration has been criticized for not providing government-funded repatriation flights for Americans who want to leave.

Ernst said that while private organizations are working to evacuate foreign nationals, Israel’s government is asking that American carriers resume flights in and out of the country to ease pressure.

She also clashed with former President Donald Trump for calling Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah “very smart” during a speech Wednesday night.

“Israel is being attacked by Iran, which is backing terrorists from all sides and it’s getting worse. So I’m not going to call them smart at all,” she said.

‘I think they have just brought about their own downfall by attacking Israel. Israel is not going to stand for it America is not going to stand for it. Hamas must be eradicated. They must be gone so that Israel can be safe,’ she continued.

“We stand firmly with Israel. There should be no doubt about that,’ Ernst reiterated to DailyMail.com.

During the swing over the Middle East, the lawmakers met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adviser Ron Dermer and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

They also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had their first phone call on Wednesday to discuss the shocking Hamas attack in Israel. During the call, they reportedly discussed the ‘need to end war crimes against Palestine’.

When asked about the crown prince’s recent phone conversation with Raisi and accusations that Israel has committed war crimes, Ernst called it a “delicate balancing act.”

She said that after her meeting with bin Salman, the lawmakers felt very positive about the prospect of a Saudi-Israeli alliance in the future, but the Hamas attack set back the step forward.

“It was a very good meeting and each of us left very optimistic about a Saudi-Israel peace agreement. Of course, then we woke up the next morning and found that these attacks happened on (October 7), and it was very disheartening.’

The senator said she still believes there is a way forward for a peace deal, but only in the future after Israel’s victory over Hamas.

The phone call came hours after Biden warned Iran to “be careful,” his first public warning to the country that largely funds Hamas.

“We made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful,” Biden said Wednesday during a meeting with Jewish leaders in the White House.

Ernst said Biden should be more forceful in condemning Iran for its work in financing terrorism.

Biden faces ever-increasing pressure to freeze $6 billion of Tehran’s assets.

Earlier this year, Biden unfroze $6 billion in Iranian funds in exchange for the release of a group of five American hostages.

Iran still doesn’t have access to the money, and Biden is facing urgent calls from Republicans and Democrats to freeze it again.

The Iowa senator blasted Biden for his “appeasement” of Iran, which she said directly led to the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.

She said that since 93 percent of Hamas’ funding comes directly from Iran, “there is absolutely an indirect correlation with how weak this administration has been on Iran on these terrorist groups, like Hamas and Hezbollah, which does add to the insecurities of the people of Israel.’

“We know that Iran is a bad actor, and yet this administration has continued to appease them and do everything to make an easy path for them to finance terrorism.”

“I put it on the shoulders of Joe Biden,” she continued.

Ernst is on the delegation trip with Reps. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Donald Norcross, DN.J., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Calif. Fla.