Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took aim at President Joe Biden's sudden push for a pause to Israel's military action in Gaza, calling it "obscene."
Cruz was reacting to Biden's response to a heckler on Wednesday in Minneapolis. A self-proclaimed rabbi interrupted Biden's speech at a fundraiser and demanded that Biden push Israel for a cease-fire, in response to which Biden said, "I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out."
The White House later clarified that Biden meant hostages, not prisoners.
"Obscene," Cruz posted to X. "Biden poured hundreds of millions of dollars toward Hamas, which then massacred 1,400 Israelis and dozens of Americans. Now he's pressuring Israel to stand down so Hamas can regroup. He's even pressuring Israel to send more fuel to the Gaza Strip, which Hamas will seize and use to attack Israel."
Cruz's assertion about fuel came amid Israel Defense Forces releasing audio Wednesday of a conversation it says is proof that Hamas is taking gas from hospitals in Gaza.
On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will "urge" Israel on Friday to pause military operations in order for aid to get into Gaza and hostages to get out.
The Biden administration is going to great lengths to define a "pause" as vastly different than "cease-fire," but both involve Israel putting a halt to its military operation — something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to do until Hamas is eliminated.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tried to peddle those semantics last week, but then said multiple pauses over more than one day might be required for aid.
"If that's what it requires, then we absolutely will try to get such pause or pauses in place."
Lior Haiat, Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said last Friday, "Israel is opposed to a humanitarian pause or cease-fire at this time."