Protesters call for Gaza ceasefire amid Blinken’s Senate testimony

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A group of protesters calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza interrupted Senate testimony by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

Several protesters were removed from the room as they kept interrupting the proceedings during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

The protesters chanted anti-war slogans during Mr Blinken’s opening remarks, with one man yelling “save the children of Gaza!”, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Ceasefire now!” another protester with the antiwar group Code Pink shouted.

The group held up their hands, which were covered in red paint to simulate blood, showing the “Free Gaza” message several of them had written on their forearms.

“Palestinians aren’t animals,” a woman yelled.

“Blinken, you have blood on your hands! Murderer!” another protester yelled at the secretary of state.

Mr Blinken was interrupted as many as six times.

The chair of the panel, Democratic Washington Senator Patty Murray, paused the hearing briefly as a number of protesters were escorted from the room.

On several occasions, she called for order even as she noted that the conflict had led to intense feelings.

Mr Biden and Mr Austin were testifying before the committee following the congressional budget request from President Joe Biden, asking for a $105bn national security package to include funding for Israel, Ukraine, and border security, in addition to other issues.

Mr Blinken told the panel that a ceasefire would “consolidate what Hamas has been able to do and allow it to remain where it is and potentially allow it to repeat” its attacks on Israel.

More than 1,400 people have died in Israel following the 7 October attack by Hamas.

The group, which has been labelled as a terror organisation by the EU and the US, has said that Israel’s counterattacks have led to more than 8,000 deaths in Gaza.

Mr Blinken said that Israel should consider allowing humanitarian pauses to allow for evacuations and for aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

The secretary of state reiterated that Israel “not only” has the right to defend itself, but the “obligation” to do so. But he added that what is vital is “how Israel does this”.

Mr Blinken addressed the interruption from the protesters during the hearing, saying: “I also hear very much the passions expressed in this room and outside this room. All of us are committed to the protection of civilian life. All of us know the suffering that is taking place we speak. All of us are determined to see it end”.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his GOP counterpart Mitch McConnell both spoke in support of aiding both Ukraine and Israel on Tuesday, even as some in the GOP, including newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, only seek to pass a spending package to support Israel – and to slash IRS funding to pay for it.

“The new speaker knows perfectly well if you want to help Israel, you can’t propose legislation that is full of poison pills,” Mr Schumer said, according to CNN. “This House GOP proposal is clearly designed to divide Congress on a partisan basis.”

“At the risk of repeating myself, the threats facing America and our allies are serious and they’re intertwined. If we ignore that fact, we do so at our own peril,” Mr McConnell added.

In her opening remarks at Tuesday’s hearing, Ms Murray said: “Make no mistake, we need to address all of these priorities as part of one package because the reality is these issues are all connected and they are all urgent.”

The vice chair of the panel, GOP Maine Senator Susan Collins, added: “If we fail to thwart these efforts, there will be dire consequences that will jeopardise our national security”.

“All of our adversaries are watching closely to see whether we have the vision to recognise how these crises are related and the resolve to come together and respond forcefully to them,” Ms Murray said.

Mr Blinken said during the hearing that the US is trying to get 100 aid trucks into Gaza every day, adding that it’s the “bare minimum of what’s needed”.

He added that before the war, between 500 and 800 trucks were entering each day but now that figure has dropped to around 60.

Mr Austin said he told Israeli officials on several occasions that they have to make sure to protect Palestinian civilians during the conflict.

“We fully understand that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. And we mourn the loss of Palestinian civilians,” he said.

“I have repeatedly made clear to Israel’s leaders that protecting civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative. Democracies like ours are stronger and more secure when we uphold the law of war and protect civilians.”