Even before the airstrike on Sunday night that destroyed tents and decrepit metal shelters in a Rafah camp. Following a military strike in Rafah that killed hundreds of Palestinians, the Biden administration advised Israel to take every measure to safeguard civilians, despite calls from some fellow Democrats to block military shipments to Israel. "Israel has the right to go after Hamas, and we understand that this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a National Security Council spokesperson stated. "But, as we've stated, Israel must use every measure to safeguard civilians. Even before the bombing on Sunday night that burned blazing tents and rickety metal shelters in a Rafah camp, killing 45 people, Biden was under increasing pressure from inside his own party to withdraw support for Israel.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent Democratic politician in the House of Representatives, termed the strike "an indefensible atrocity" on Monday, saying in a social media post that "it is long past time for the President to live up to his word and suspend military aid."Horrific and gut wrenching images coming out of Rafah last night," Representative Ayanna Pressley stated in a social media post. "How much longer will the U.S. stand by while the Israeli military slaughters and mutilates Palestinian babies?" Representative Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian-American in Congress, referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "genocidal maniac."
Netanyahu stated on Monday that the operation was not intended to cause civilian casualties but went "tragically wrong." According to the NSC spokeswoman, the US administration is "actively engaging" with the Israeli military and other on-the-ground personnel to assess what occurred.According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, nearly half of Democratic voters disagree with Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Weeks of war-related campus protests have added to the pressure, and broader calls for a permanent ceasefire have put Biden's reelection campaign on the defensive.
