Warren calls for US to support ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for the U.S. to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas amid escalating violence in the Gaza Strip that has killed dozens of civilians and leveled a high rise building that houses several prominent media outlets.

“Israeli airstrikes that destroyed international media outlets and killed innocent Gaza civilians tell us what we already know: Israel and Hamas must work with negotiators and reach a ceasefire immediately and the US must actively support this effort,” Warren said in a Saturday evening tweet. 

Israeli airstrikes that destroyed international media outlets and killed innocent Gaza civilians tell us what we already know: Israel and Hamas must work with negotiators and reach a ceasefire immediately and the US must actively support this effort.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) May 15, 2021

Warren’s comments come amid almost one week of violence between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier Saturday, Israeli forces bombed a 12-story building that housed prominent media outlets including The Associated Press and Al Jazeera in addition to apartments. Israeli Defense Forces later defended the strikes on Twitter, stating that Hamas had placed “military assets” in the building. 

The Israeli military added that it provided an hour’s notice before hitting the building.

The AP later reported that Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed a family of 10 in a refugee camp, most of whom were children. The wire service also reported Saturday that Hamas had fired rockets into Tel Aviv. 

Saturday’s events marked another day in a week of violence that broke out Monday after Hamas fired rockets from Gaza at Israel. 

Over 2,000 rockets have been fires at Israel in recent days, and Israel has retaliated with a barrage of strikes on its own, CNN noted. Amid the conflict, about 140 people have died in Gaza and 11 people have died in Israel, according to a report from The New York Times.

Close to 40 fatalities in Gaza have been children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. 

The White House has not called for a ceasefire amid the violence in the region. However, President Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Saturday following the leveling of the high rise building. 

According to a readout from the White House released in the afternoon, Biden, “reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza” and “raised concerns about the safety and security of journalists and reinforced the need to ensure their protection.”

The U.S. president also spoke with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as violence in Gaza spills over into protests in the West Bank.

“The President expressed his support for steps to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy the dignity, security, freedom, and economic opportunity that they deserve,” Biden said, according to a White House readout.

Warren is one of several progressive lawmakers who have spoken out about the conflict. Previously, she criticized  Israel’s plans to evict Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. 

The senator’s progressive colleague in the upper chamber, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday for cultivating “an increasingly intolerant and authoritarian type of racist nationalism.”