NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine on Friday rebuked the Biden administration's approach to Israel after an airstrike in Gaza left seven aid workers dead earlier this week.
Kaine, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, shared a statement calling for the quick flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
"The Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy this week crystallizes the frustration that is at a boiling point," Kaine wrote in a statement about the Monday airstrike. "The killing of seven volunteers exemplifies that current conditions make it nearly impossible for [non-governmental organizations] and international organizations to safely and swiftly deliver humanitarian aid to suffering people."
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He also argued the Biden administration should only prioritize the transfer of defensive weapons while withholding bombs and other offensive weapons, and called for an independent investigation into the strike on World Central Kitchen volunteers.
Kaine's statement comes amid growing criticism of Israel's conduct in its military operation in the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Associated Press. Israel launched the operation in October after a cross-border Hamas attack that left more than 1,200 dead.
The Associated Press reports that the Monday airstrike has complicated the United States' effort to build a floating dock, which in itself was a response to the constricted flow of humanitarian aid to Gazans during the conflict. Kaine said the amount of aid allowed by Israel has been "painfully slow and dramatically inadequate."
"The attack raises questions about whether the U.S. can safely partner with these groups to deliver aid from a marine pier into Gaza," Kaine wrote. "U.S. troops involved in such a mission will likely include Virginians. They shouldn’t be in harm’s way as they provide life-sustaining aid, but the unfolding events in the region show that even a humanitarian aid mission carries real danger."
Kaine praised President Joe Biden for pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open a border crossing from Israel to speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid. The two world leaders spoke on Thursday, the Associated Press said.
"But this was an obvious solution that should have happened months ago," Kaine said.
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Kaine went on to say that "dangerous air-drops or complicated plans for building marine piers" wouldn't be needed if Israel allowed existing border crossing to be used to deliver aid.
“The United States has time and again stood with Israel as a friend, partner and ally," Kaine wrote. "And no one has been as steadfast a partner as President Biden. But as the President emphasized in his phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday, the current approach is not working."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.