Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) rebuffed an activist's call for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying Israel should instead do everything in its power to destroy Hamas.

Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the feminist pacifist organization Code Pink, stopped Rubio on Thursday, asking if he would call for a ceasefire. He immediately responded that he would not and asked if someone was filming.

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“I want you guys to get this: I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on," Rubio said. "These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes, and I hope you guys post that."

Benjamin retorted by asking him what he thought about the civilian casualties, to which he responded that he blamed Hamas.

"Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians, putting civilians in the way," Rubio said. "Hamas knew that this was going to lead to this."

One of the activists once again interjected by asking if he cared about the death of children in Gaza.

"Absolutely I do," Rubio said. "I think it's horrifying, and I think Hamas is 100% to blame."

Rubio then walked away as he asked the group to make sure to post the video. Code Pink added its own video statement after the video, blaming Rubio for the civilian deaths due to his support for Israel and its "soul-crushing oppression." Benjamin said many of the Hamas fighters are orphans due to Israeli attacks.

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Several conservative figures praised Rubio's response, saying he handled the encounter well.

"Serious kudos to @marcorubio for unabashedly speaking the truth here. #BlameHamas," Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.