On Thursday's “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attack targeted “civilians, civilians who had nothing to do with Hamas' actions.” He said he was aware that it could have an impact. “There may be a reaction from Iran and other countries,” he said, adding, “We hope that Israel will show restraint now.”
“I think everyone understood that Israel would naturally react to a very tragic attack by Hamas,” Castro said. We also understood that if it affected people as well, there could be a reaction from Iran and others who have already financed terrorist attacks against Israel for years. Unfortunately, this situation is spiraling out of control. And there were opportunities for a ceasefire…at times there was resistance, not only from the Hamas leadership, but also from Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel. This is a very tense situation, and I hope that Israel will show restraint now. I think everyone is happy that Israeli defense systems and support from the United States prevented mass casualties from an Iranian attack on Israel, so the damage to civilians was kept to a minimum. But I think we're all thankful that the situation in Gaza, which is the root cause of all this, is that a cease-fire has been reached and the hostages, Israeli hostages, are returned to their families. I want to make sure that there is a greater ceasefire and a lasting peace.”
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