A large coalition of House Democrats is calling on the Biden administration to withhold offensive military aid and weapons to Israel, saying they are worried about the “humanitarian catastrophe” for those in Gaza if the Jewish state launches a ground invasion into Rafah.
Over 50 House Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to cut off both current and future offense aid to Israel to prevent a Rafah invasion as part of its war against Hamas, a conflict that has driven a wedge within the Democratic conference over how much support to provide the ally and how to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D‑WA) and Madeleine Dean (D‑PA), the letter denounces the reports of Israel looking to launch a “full-scale offensive on Rafah” as “wholly unacceptable.”
“While the pace of supply trucks entering Gaza has picked up slightly since the unacceptable strike on World Central Kitchen workers, this limited improvement is not nearly sufficient to meet the strip’s catastrophic levels of need,” the members wrote. “Furthermore, any offensive would put remaining hostages being held …