Rep. Kathy Manning: Hamas attacks ‘barbaric,’ have to be ‘condemned by everyone’

Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) said Wednesday that Hamas’s attacks on Israel need to be “condemned by everyone” and took aim at some Democrats over their statements on the ongoing fighting.

“I agree that every member of our Democratic caucus has called out the gruesome nature of what happened, and it’s undeniable that what the Hamas terrorists did was barbaric, was unacceptable and has to be condemned by everyone. I do believe our colleagues have condemned that — we do have some diversity in our caucus,” she said on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have faced criticism from fellow Democrats over their statements on the fighting in Israel over the weekend, where they each labeled the nation as an apartheid state and called for the ending of U.S. funding for Israel. They each also offered condolences for both Israelis and Palestinians who have been killed during the fighting. 

Manning was asked what her reaction was to Bush’s statement, in which the Missouri Democrat said the U.S. “must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

“I could not disagree with her more strongly. I think she’s wrong on that issue. And she knows that I disagree with her,” Manning said regarding Bush.

Tlaib also faced backlash for her statement, with Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) saying Tuesday that “it shouldn’t be hard to condemn terrorists and terrorism.”

Manning also described the briefing all House members received from the Biden administration Wednesday about the ongoing fighting. 

“We learned what efforts are being made to make sure that we help provide Israel with what they need to win this war against this gruesome terrorist group. We learned that all efforts will be made to make sure that Americans are safe and to bring them here Americans back home,” she said. 

The State Department confirmed Wednesday that at least 22 American citizens have died as a result of the ongoing violence in Israel. More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed since the onset of the Hamas’s attacks against Israel over the weekend, and more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed amid the ensuing fighting in Gaza.

“The Hill” on NewsNation airs Monday to Friday at 5 p.m. ET.