Sen. Murphy: Israel is creating ‘unacceptable level of civilian harm’ in Gaza

Sen. Chris Murphy has called on Israel to rethink its approach to rooting out the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.

In a statement issued online, the Connecticut Democrat acknowledged that “Israel has a right and an obligation to defend its people from terror attacks like the horrific events of October 7,” Murphy – the chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism – claimed the Israeli actions in Gaza “is causing an unacceptable level of civilian harm and does not appear likely to achieve the goal of permanently ending the threat from Hamas.”

Murphy urged Israel to “immediately reconsider its approach and shift to a more deliberate and proportionate counterterrorism campaign, surgically targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and terrorist infrastructure while more highly prioritizing the safety of civilians in accordance with the law of armed conflict. This does not mean that Israel should stop fighting Hamas, but it must take concrete steps to end the current widespread harm to innocent people and children inside Gaza.”

The Israeli government did not respond to Murphy’s comment.