Protesters occupied the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Friday to demand that he call for an "immediate cease-fire" between Israel and Hamas.
According to the activist group DSA Palestine, Sanders' chief of staff "denied to speak with members" who went into the office, The Hill reported.
Sanders is among other progressives to face backlash for their response to Israel's attacks in Gaza, as Democrats have been pressing Congress to condemn the country's counteroffensive after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Sanders had initially criticized Israeli forces for blocking access to resources in Gaza, and had also asked the Israeli military to refrain from attacks, but also has praised the United States for offering to support Israel.
The U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights wrote on X that as Sanders' chief of staff walked away, "our people die."
The post showed a video of the protesters shouting at Sanders' chief while chanting "cease-fire."
There was no indication about where Sanders was during the protest. He posted on X on Thursday that "Israel must end this violence," but spoke about increased violence in the West Bank, not Gaza.
"Attention is obviously now focused on the crisis in Gaza, but West Bank violence has also increased," Sanders wrote. "The UN reports 170 settler attacks in the West Bank, and 121 Palestinians have been killed since October 7."
Meanwhile, another person posting on X about the protests said the people at Sanders' office "read the names of over 7,000+ Palestinians killed since October 7, and [were] holding up photos to show they are not just numbers."
The commenter posted photos of the demonstration showing protesters with signs and banners urging the senator to "stop arming Israel" and "stop funding genocide."
Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Wednesday wrote a letter to President Joe Biden to express their concern about Israel's invasion of Gaza.
They said in the letter that they support Israel's right to self-defense after the Hamas attacks. Still, they said they are concerned about the "likely humanitarian toll" after Israel invaded Gaza.
Friday's protests came among other large demonstrations on Capitol Hill since the war began, including last month, when a large group of protesters went inside the Cannon House office building demanding a cease-fire.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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