Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) characterized the humanitarian crisis as “heartbreaking,” emphasizing that only Hamas has the power to bring an end to the conflict with Israel. In a recent interview, Fetterman, a staunch advocate for Israel, expressed his deep concern over the dire conditions in Gaza, describing them as “worse than horrible, it’s heartbreaking.”
He emphasized that the onus is on Hamas to release the hostages and bring an end to the situation. “They started this,” Fetterman said, in reference to Hamas. “They have designed this to maximize the kinds of destruction and death. They hide behind places like hospitals and civilians and schools and refugee camps. That’s how it’s been designed.”
In response to criticism accusing him of lacking empathy for the people of Gaza, the Pennsylvania Democrat addressed the situation where over 34,700 Palestinians have lost their lives since early October, as reported by local health authorities. His remarks followed Hamas’s announcement of accepting a temporary ceasefire agreement aimed at halting the conflict in Gaza and facilitating the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in the region.
However, Israel deemed the terms offered by Hamas inadequate to meet its fundamental demands. Fetterman, in his first Senate term, has consistently stood by Israel since the attacks by Hamas on October 7, often diverging from the views of liberal Democrats regarding Israel’s actions in the conflict.
During his conversation with USA Today, Fetterman reiterated his disapproval of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses nationwide, highlighting concerns expressed by Jewish students.
“And now it must be incredibly unnerving and terrifying if you are a Jewish student, when you have all of these things,” he said. “I’m sure they might feel like — why don’t they have our back?”
While numerous protests have been described as peaceful, school officials have noted receiving worries about the safety of Jewish students and the risk of anti-Semitic language being used.
His comments were released a day following the takeover of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza by Israeli forces, where over 1 million civilians are seeking shelter.
“And I’m always trying to center this to people, where it’s like Hamas could … Well, they started this,” Fetterman continued Tuesday. “They did these kinds of terrible things. And this could end right now if they send all those hostages back home, and they could surrender … but they clearly don’t care about all the Palestinians’ death and chaos and damage.”
In the past few weeks, the Biden administration and Western leaders made efforts to dissuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from launching a large-scale invasion, citing the potential threat to civilian lives and the distribution of essential aid. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby informed reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. is keeping a close watch on Israel’s activities in Rafah.
During an interview with Fox News, Fetterman was questioned about his stance on Israel entering Rafah. Fetterman said, “Well, I follow Israel on that. I mean, they would know the situation more than I do.”
He clarified that these actions did not escalate to the extent of a full-scale military operation that U.S. officials had cautioned against. Netanyahu continues to assert that military operations in Rafah are necessary to exert pressure on Hamas, the governing authority in the Gaza Strip since 2007.
