GOP Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.) on Sunday argued it is imperative that Israel goes into Rafah to “destroy” Palestinian militant group Hamas, despite warnings from the Biden administration against the move.
“Number one, they [Israel] need American support; they have to go into Rafah to destroy Hamas,” Scott said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
The Florida Republican is coming off of the heels of a trip to Israel, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other government officials.
President Biden and other administration officials have repeatedly expressed concerns with Israel’s plans for Rafah, a city in Gaza that shares a border with Egypt. Millions of people seeking refuge are being housed in the region after being evacuated from other parts of the enclave since the start of the war in early October.
Israeli leaders have asserted they plan to move forward with an invasion of the southern Gaza city. Earlier this month, Netanyahu said there is no “alternative” to the invasion, which he argued is necessary to wipe out Hamas.
“They [Israel] need American support, but they’re going to go into Rafah to get rid of Hamas whether the U.S. supports them or not,” Scott said.
The war between Israel and Hamas has raged on for more than five months since the militant group’s surprise assault on Israel that left 1,200 people dead. About 240 others were taken hostage in Hamas’s surprise assault, about 100 of which were returned during a week-long cease-fire late last year.