WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden's administration has urged Israel to ensure civilian safety following a military strike in Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians. This comes amid calls from some Democrats to stop military aid to Israel.
A National Security Council spokesperson stated, “Israel has a right to target Hamas, and we acknowledge that this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists responsible for attacks on Israeli civilians. However, Israel must take all possible precautions to protect civilians.”
Biden has been under growing pressure from his party to reduce support for Israel. This intensified after Sunday night's airstrike in Rafah, which destroyed tents and metal shelters in a camp, resulting in 45 deaths.
Prominent Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the strike “an indefensible atrocity” on social media, urging the President to suspend military aid to Israel. Representative Ayanna Pressley described the images from Rafah as “horrific and gut-wrenching” and questioned how long the US would tolerate the killing of Palestinian children.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “genocidal maniac.”
Netanyahu stated on Monday that the strike was not intended to cause civilian casualties but acknowledged it went “tragically wrong.”
The NSC spokesperson mentioned that the US is “actively engaging” with the Israeli military and others to understand what happened.
A recent poll shows that almost half of Democratic voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Weeks of campus protests and calls for a permanent ceasefire have also added pressure on Biden's reelection campaign.
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