By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - A Democratic US senator called Tuesday for an "indefinite" cease-fire in Gaza to "prevent further loss of civilian life.”
In a statement, Peter Welch, from the state of Vermont, said although he supports Israel's right to pursue those who carried out the Oct. 7 attacks, he said Israel "must not do so in a way that leads to massive civilian casualties and the large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza."
"This will only incite more enemies against Israel and the US,” he said. “For this reason, the cease-fire must be extended indefinitely.”
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed to an initial four-day truce Friday. It was extended Monday for an additional two days to facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid into Gaza as well as the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
Negotiators are working on an additional extension which US President Joe Biden has said he is seeking to broker.
“The temporary cease-fire that began last Friday was the first glimmer of hope since Hamas savagely attacked Israel on October 7th, brutally massacring at least 1,200 Israelis, including women and children, and taking 240 hostages," Senator Welch said in the statement.
“The impact of the conflict in the Middle East has reverberated across the world, and we’ve seen the effects here at home in the form of Islamophobia and antisemitism," he said, noting the brutal murder of a six-year-old Palestinian child in Chicago and the shooting of three Palestinian-American students in the state of Vermont as well as a spike in antisemitism.
"This cycle of fear, intimidation and violence must end," he said.
“Israel had the right to counter-attack Hamas in Gaza. But Palestinians who had nothing to do with the crimes of October 7th have suffered grievously," he said.
Noting that the "cease-fire" has so far been largely successful, he said: "But the cease-fire is scheduled to expire this week. That would be a grave mistake."
“The cease-fire must be extended first and foremost to stop the bombing and prevent further loss of civilian life. The United States cannot condone a resumption of the bombing when it causes death and injury to so many civilians," he said.
“Israel’s enemy is Hamas, not the Palestinian people," he stressed.
Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.