WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Israel's military assault on Gaza, which followed Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, has come under increasing
international criticism as the Gaza health ministry has reported
more than 33,000 people have died in the war and the narrow
coastal enclave suffers widespread famine.
Support from Pelosi, a veteran member of Biden's Democratic
Party, for stopping the transfer of weapons to Israel showed
that the view is increasingly becoming mainstream in the party.
KEY QUOTE
Friday's letter called on the Biden administration to conduct
its own probe into an Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff
of the aid group World Central Kitchen on Monday.
"In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the
ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is
unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers," the letter
said. It was signed by Pelosi and 36 other Democrats including
Representatives Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
CONTEXT
The Israeli military said on Friday it dismissed two officers
and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into
the aid workers' deaths found serious errors and breaches of
procedure. Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in which he said Israel needed to
do more to protect civilians or the U.S. would change its
policy.
Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to
Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on
Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly all its 2.3 million
population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia
Osterman)
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