SCHNEIDER STATEMENT ON GAZA CITY TAKE OVER

Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement in response to the Israeli Security Cabinet approving a plan to take control of Gaza City: 

“We all want this awful war to end. However, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to take over all of Gaza City is tactically questionable and strategically self-defeating. If implemented, the decision is more likely to play into Hamas’s original objectives in starting this war and further unite much of the world against Israel than it is to bring home the last surviving hostages and advance the security needs of the nation.

“It is always necessary to remember that, on October 7, 2023, Hamas started this war with the intent of destroying Israel and killing its citizens. Israel has the absolute right to protect its citizens, secure its borders, and rescue its hostages. 

“At the same time, in fighting what is unquestionably an existential war against absolute evil, Israel must also uphold its responsibility to do all it can to protect civilians in Gaza and enable humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

“Again, the world wants this war to end. The world must also be committed to working with Israel, the United States, European countries, and our Arab allies to open new pathways for relief, recovery and renewal—both for the people of Gaza and the people of Israel.”

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