Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio confronted pro-Palestine protesters Tuesday who called for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Rubio posted audio to Twitter of him denying the protesters’ calls for a ceasefire and took the commonly held stance of wanting Israel to destroy Hamas, a terrorist organization governing the Gaza Strip.
“Senator Rubio, will you call for a ceasefire in Gaza?” a protester asked.
“No, I will not,” the senator replied. “On the contrary.”
Hamas supporters were in the U.S. Senate calling for a ceasefire.
They probably won’t be posting this video. pic.twitter.com/biTylkZ3w9
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) November 28, 2023
Rubio said Israel must “destroy every element of Hamas” and blamed the terrorists for every civilian death resulting from the conflict. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said 13,300 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war, according to PBS. Hamas terrorists brutally slaughtered 1,400 Israeli civilians, several of whom were burned alive or beheaded.
“And I hope you guys post that.”
“And what about the civilians that are being killed every day?” a female protester asked.
“Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians, putting civilians in the way. Hamas knew that this was going to lead to this. So Hamas should stop building their military installations underneath hospitals,” Rubio added. (RELATED: ‘Removed By Mistake’: YouTube Reinstates Video Of Marco Rubio Branding Hamas As ‘Savages’)
“So you don’t care that 15,000 have died?” she asked.
“Absolutely, I do,” the senator said.
“You don’t care about the babies that are being killed every day?” she continued.
“I think it’s horrifying. I think it’s terrible and I think Hamas is 100% to blame,” Rubio said. “That’s what I think.”
Rubio called for the visas of immigrants supporting Hamas to be revoked by the federal government during an Oct. 17 interview with Fox News, citing terrorism concerns.
During an Oct. 20 statement, President Joe Biden expressed his support for Israel’s efforts to destroy Hamas, emphasizing the terrorists’ goal to “completely annihilate” the state of Israel and the Jewish people. He also pointed to Hamas using Palestinian civilians as human shields during Israel’s airstrikes.
Many have expressed concern about Hamas’ threats to launch another attack on Israel, possibly being even worse than the one that occurred on Oct. 7, and the conflict has increased the risk of Islamic attacks in Europe. The U.S. has continued to support Israel’s military efforts and its right to defend itself, though Biden had called for temporary pauses for humanitarian purposes.
Pro-Palestinian protesters across the U.S. have blamed Israel for the conflict and have chanted antisemitic slurs, including “from the river to the sea.” Tens of thousands of protesters vandalized White House property and wrenched the fence as they accused Biden of genocide.