Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) deflected a question about whether calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are premature after over a dozen House Democrats introduced a resolution Monday urging the Biden administration to support a suspension of hostilities.
When asked Thursday afternoon by CNN’s Dana Bash if the call for a ceasefire is premature, Pelosi said, “I don't know what the nature of their ceasefire is.”
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“We have to protect the civilians, the people of Gaza who are not Hamas, but that's hard to do,” Pelosi said.
“And Hamas provoked this knowing it would evoke a response,” she said, adding they were aware “they'd be hiding behind shields of civilian people.”
On Monday, progressive House leaders introduced a congressional resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates, with Thursday marking 13 days of devastating attacks.
The proposal was launched by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and garnered over a dozen signatures from Democratic lawmakers, including her fellow “Squad” members Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Tlaib and the Squad have all been criticized for their stance by members of both parties since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The fact is, is that Hamas is a terrorist organization so designated by the United States of America. That's how we regard them. They made a barbaric, brutal attack on Israel, killing maybe 1,000 people, maybe more, in a state about the population and the size of New Jersey. Imagine if that had happened here,” Pelosi said, adding Hamas must be stopped.
According to Israeli officials, at least 1,400 have died since the start of the attacks on Oct. 7, with Hamas taking a total of 203 hostages from Israel. In Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 3,478 people have been killed and over 10,000 have been wounded.
President Joe Biden traveled to Israel this week to stand in solidarity with the U.S. ally and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Wednesday, Biden announced that the U.S. will send $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank. The president is also expected to ask Congress for $100 billion in foreign aid that will include money for Israel and Ukraine.
“We do have to help the people of Gaza,” Pelosi said. “The Arab countries have to do more, especially Egypt, in letting them in the corridor there.”
Netanyahu said that any aid from Israel to Gaza would be blocked until the hostages are returned, but said during his meeting with Biden that aid into the Gaza Strip from Egypt won’t be blocked by Israel.
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Pelosi praised Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict ahead of his address to the nation from the Oval Office on Thursday evening.
“Our president has been just so strong,” Pelosi said. “He just understands so well the relationship between the United States and Israel, as our values partner, as our strategic partner, and also our role in the world, to be respectful of other people.