Van Hollen: Biden Needs to Use More ‘Leverage’ over Israel Even as They Withdraw Some Troops

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) reacted to news that Israel is drawing down the number of troops in northern Gaza by stating that there have still been “unacceptably high civilian casualties” in the Israel-Hamas war and that he thinks that “the Biden administration needs to do even more to use U.S. leverage” over Israel.

Van Hollen said, “Well, we have seen unacceptably high civilian casualties throughout this war. We’re now over 20,000 Gazans dead, two-thirds of them women and children. And as I listen to what Prime Minister Netanyahu said, that they’re redeploying some of their troops out of northern Gaza, where they are sort of finishing up some of their operations, but the intensity of attacks in southern Gaza, in places like Khan Yunis in the south, remain very hot. And the Biden administration has continued to press Netanyahu to reduce civilian casualties, to allow more humanitarian assistance into Gaza. We’re getting reports of half the population nearing starvation levels. And so, my view is the Biden administration needs to do even more to use U.S. leverage to accomplish the objectives that President Biden has set out.”

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