Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman defended Israel's strike on the Palestinian city of Rafah, calling civilian deaths "awful" but inevitable given the Hamas presence there.
The freshman senator has emerged as one of the most pro-Israel voices in Washington, breaking with many pro-Palestine activists who supported his progressive campaign for Senate.
Fetterman noted that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, creating a difficult situation for the Israeli military.
Dozens of Palestinians died in a fire at a refugee camp in Rafah last weekend following an Israeli strike, bringing new criticism of Israel's military operation and of Biden for his failure to stop supporting it.
Israel has attributed the deaths to a Hamas weapons depot that was in the area. The Biden administration has said it is withholding judgment until a probe is complete.
Fetterman told MSNBC's Morning Joe that Hamas "cowards" hide behind civilians, while calling the deaths "tragic" and "heartbreaking."
"It also is a truth about this war, and that’s what Hamas — Hamas, those cowards hide behind civilians, and now it’s becoming more and more there was a dump of munitions there that exploded," he said. "That’s where Hamas is hiding them and that added more damage that way as well."
Fetterman firmly blamed Hamas for the ongoing suffering, saying the terror group doesn't care "how many die."
"But I do believe Israel does try to minimize that, but it’s a very difficult war when they have to wage a war when they have Hamas hiding behind the civilians.”
The situation in Rafah has become another test for President Biden, who has struggled to balance support for Israel against demands from his progressive base to cut off support for Israel's "genocide" in Palestine.
Fetterman's response is a far cry from leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has called the Rafah strike an "indefensible atrocity."
The Biden administration maintains that, as of now, Israel hasn't crossed Biden's so-called "red line" in Rafah.
"Israel, of course, has a right to go after Hamas. And we understand that this strike did kill two senior Hamas terrorists who are directly responsible for attacks against the Israeli people," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
Much of the Gaza Strip has already been bombed by the Israeli military in its effort to wipe out Hamas. Israel has called Rafah, home to many refugees, the last bastion of the terror group.
