The Israel-Hamas war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Thousands of civilians have been killed and villages have been turned into rubble.
"Hamas is the one that's causing death in Gaza," Sen. Rick Scott told Scripps News in an interview.
On Tuesday afternoon, a rocket hit a hospital in Gaza City, reportedly killing hundreds. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, according to The Associated Press. However, Israel Defense Forces said the rocket was a misfire from the Palestinian militant group Palestine Islamic Jihad.
Prior to the blast, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that it had already received 1,200 reports of missing people trapped under rubble, nearly half of them children.
Additionally, the United Nations estimates that around 400,000 people have been displaced in Gaza.
Scott, a Republican from Florida, laid the entire blame squarely on Hamas, which carried out a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Approximately 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and about 200 others were taken as hostages, prompting retaliation from Israel.
Israel denies involvement in Gaza hospital strike
The IDF said an explosion at a hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people was caused by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, not Israel.
“We need to get our citizens back, our hostages back safely, and everybody in every member of Hamas needs to be destroyed,” Scott said. “They need to be killed.”
The exact number of potential American hostages has not been made public. However, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby had previously told reporters "less than a handful" may be Americans.
President Joe Biden is heading to Israel to show his support for the country. He is also expected to meet with other leaders in the region on Wednesday. However, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his participation in the meeting after the rocket incident at the Gaza hospital.
Israel prepares for Biden's wartime visit ahead of ground invasion
President Biden will visit Tel Aviv on Wednesday, meaning any ground invasion of Gaza will likely wait.
