House Democrats Challenge Biden on Israel, Say Pausing Weapons Shipments Will ‘Embolden’ Hamas

A coalition of House Democrats scolded the White House in a letter on Friday for pausing weapons shipments to Israel at a “critical moment” during the stalled cease-fire negotiations process, saying it will send Hamas terrorists the wrong message.

Twenty-six Democratic lawmakers, led by Representative Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.), said the move “only emboldens” Hamas and Iran’s other proxies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis. “It also buttresses their agenda of chaos, brutality, and hate, and makes a hostage agreement even harder to achieve,” the letter reads.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration will not supply some arms to the Israeli military if it proceeds with a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah in the southern Gaza, where Hamas is based. The paused shipment included about 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.