Republican Divide Over Gaza Grows in Wake of Trump’s Calls for More Aid

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing lawmaker closely identified with President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, this week became the first Republican in Congress to describe the situation in Gaza as a “genocide.” “It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” Greene, who represents Georgia, said in a social media post Monday evening. The post was in response to fellow Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who had posted last week on X: “Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.” Greene’s declaration represented a sharp turn for her on the fraught issue of Gaza. Since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, virtually all prominent Republicans have been in lockstep in support of Israel’s military campaign. Weeks after Hamas’ attack, Greene filed a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, over her criticism of Israel. Read More: The Malnutrition Crisis in Gaza Will Outlive the War, Experts Warn The shift from Greene was the latest sign of a broader debate within the Republican Party over Gaza. Greene’s words came the same day as Trump seemed to break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Netanyahu’s claims that there is no starvation in Gaza. Trump made clear to reporters at an event in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he believed the starvation there was “real.”  “We’re going to set up food centers, and we’re going to do it in conjunction with some very good people,” Trump said. “We’re going to supply funds… and we’re going to spend a little money on some food. Other nations are joining us.”  Starmer later said on Tuesday that the U.K. would recognize Palestine as a state if Israel did not make “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza” and make moves towards “sustainable, long-term peace.” Though Trump did not explicitly condemn Netanyahu, he did acknowledge he “told Bibi [Netanyahu] that you have to maybe do it a different way.” Republicans are more divided on the issue than they have been since the Oct. 7 attack.  While a few fellow Republicans have joined Greene’s condemnation—“More need to speak out,” she said in response to a post from Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas about Gaza’s “humanitarian crisis”—others are insisting the fault over the situation still lies with Hamas.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he “shares the President’s view,” but also accused Hamas of intercepting and diverting much of the food aid going to Gaza. “The humanitarian thing obviously when you see people hurting in a need like that, is to want to help meet that need and alleviate that pain,” Thune said at his weekly press conference. “I think all of us want to see, obviously, a peaceful solution there that gets the hostages freed and ends the reign and rule of Hamas in the region. But in the meantime, do everything we can to ease the pain and the hunger that’s afflicting so many of the people in that region.” North Carolina’s Republican Sen. Thom Thillis simultaneously told The Hill that Hamas deserves blame and that Trump was “right to hold elected [officials] accountable,” saying he would “encourage Mr. Netanyahu to just be sensitive to that.” Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Chris Hollen of Maryland said Sunday on CBS’s Face The Nation that claims that Hamas was stealing U.N.-delivered food were a “big lie.” Many others in the Republican Party remain staunch in their support for Netanyahu’s government. “I want to be crystal clear on my thoughts regarding the catastrophe in Gaza: I blame Hamas 100%,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham said on X on Tuesday. “If you want this suffering to end, call on Hamas to lay down their weapons and their leaders to take safe passage out of Gaza. The criticism of Israel is beyond the pale as they are fighting for their very existence.” The split within the GOP comes amid mounting pressure from Democrats and the international community for both Israel and the U.S. to better address starvation in Gaza. On Tuesday, 40 Senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff,  imploring them and Trump to address starvation in Gaza with the resumption of ceasefire talks. The Senators also expressed opposition to “permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people.” “To prevent the situation from getting even worse, we urge you to advocate for a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip, including through the use of experienced multilateral bodies and NGOs that can get life-saving aid directly to those in need and prevent diversion,” the letter reads.