Sen. Chris Murphy Calls Out Israel For Killing Massive Number Of Palestinian Civilians

LOADING ERROR LOADING Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the most influential Democrats on foreign policy in the upper chamber, denounced Israel on Thursday for its continuous siege on Gaza that has killed at least 9,000 Palestinians over the span of weeks and led voices around the world to demand a cease-fire. In a statement, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee member decried Hamas militants’ Oct. 7 attack that killed roughly 1,400 people in Israel, and maintained his position that Israel has a “right and an obligation to defend itself.” But the Connecticut Democrat stressed that Israel’s current military approach, which human rights groups have described as ethnic cleansing, is resulting in a concerning number of civilian deaths. “It’s time for Israel’s friends to recognize that the current operational approach is causing an unacceptable level of civilian harm and does not appear likely to achieve the goal of permanently ending the threat from Hamas,” Murphy said. “As we have learned from America’s own counterterrorism campaigns, disproportionately large numbers of civilian casualties come with a moral cost, but also a strategic cost, as terrorist groups feed off of the grievances caused by civilian harm.” Earlier on Thursday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin initially told CNN that he believes it is time for a cease-fire in Gaza, becoming the first senator to call for such a move. When pressed later, Durbin clarified that he is calling “for a humanitarian pause, which is equivalent to a temporary cease-fire.” After Murphy’s statement, fellow committee member Sen. Brian Schatz also called for a “mutually agreed-upon humanitarian pause,” stressing that the “scale of human suffering right now is untenable.” While the U.S. government is still overwhelmingly supportive of Israel and its military actions, officials’ latest statements reflect a slow, potential shift in attitudes regarding the violence.