Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that she believed a humanitarian pause was needed in the Israel-Hamas war.
Mitchell said, “You’re familiar with the situation in the Middle East. You’re calling for a pause in Gaza, not a cease-fire, because of the non-Hamas civilians who are trapped. Does Israel need to be more targeted in its assault? Is there a way to accomplish the goal of getting rid of Hamas leadership without the bunker-buster bombs and the air strikes that hit the refugee camps?”
Sherrill said, “Many of us that served in uniform, have a great many concerns about this approach. Number one is the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That’s why I called for a humanitarian pause. You know, I think so many of us watched with true horror, the attack on Israel. I’m the mother of kids, and many of us would have been at that music festival if we were in Israel.”
She added, “Watching that struck home for me and many people in my district. Now, the ongoing humanitarian crisis. people are not having access to food and water. EMTs can’t get to the wounded civilians because they don’t have internet. The internet is shut down at times or self-service is shut down. Seeing lack of access to medical care and power, power concerns at the hospitals. That’s why I’m calling for a humanitarian pause so we can ensure we are getting humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, so they have safe havens. So we can come up with a plan so the civilian casualties will be lower. Importantly, we can figure out a path to get Hamas to release the hostages unconditionally.”
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