Nearly all of the House “Squad” Democrats voted with the rest of Congress to condemn Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack against Israel and demand the immediate release of all hostages held by the group.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) was the only member of the Squad not to vote, though nine other Democrats and 10 other Republicans didn’t vote either. All 414 voting members of Congress voted in favor of the measure.
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In full, the resolution “calls on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during its October 2023 attack on Israel. The resolution (1) condemns Hamas for attacking Israel, taking hostages, and for threats made against hostages; (2) demands that Hamas immediately release hostages; (3) recognizes that hostage-taking is a violation of international humanitarian law; and (4) expresses sympathy to the hostages, wounded, deceased, and their families.”
Squad members have sent mixed messages concerning Hamas and U.S. support for Israel. Last month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) voted against a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7 attack, calling it “biased.”
“I have and continue to denounce the killing of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity,” she wrote after her vote. “Targeting civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it. Do not confuse my vote against this one-sided resolution with a lack of empathy for all those who are grieving. I voted against this resolution because it is a deeply incomplete and biased account of what is happening in Israel and Palestine, and what has been happening for decades.”
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Tlaib has been the most outspoken of the Squad during the conflict, even being censured after refusing to back down in her accusation that Israel was behind an explosion at a Gaza hospital last month.
Amid major accusations of antisemitism, the Squad appears to be toning down its rhetoric, as seen with the vote on Tuesday. However, the group continues to call for a permanent ceasefire despite objections from their party and President Joe Biden.
