In a stunning admission, a House Republican was caught on camera this week saying that he thinks the U.S. and Israel should kill all Palestinians in Gaza.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles made the comments in response to pro-Palestine activists who confronted him in a hallway about the U.S.’s continued support for Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza, which has killed 30,000 Palestinians so far, including 12,300 children.
“I’ve seen the footage of shredded children’s bodies,” an activist told Ogles after the lawmaker repeated unsubstantiated claims about violence against children by Hamas forces. “That’s my taxpayer dollars going to bomb those kids.”
“I think we should kill them all,” Ogles responded. “If that makes you feel better.”
He went on to seemingly suggest that the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and beyond is legitimate in order to serve the desires of Israel. “Hamas and the Palestinians have been attacking Israel for 20 years,” Ogles said, failing to mention the brutal system of ethnic cleansing and apartheid that Israel has imposed on Palestinians for 75 years. “It’s time to pay the piper.”
“Death to Hamas,” Ogles concluded, turning to the camera.
Ogles’s office has supposedly clarified that the lawmaker was referring to Hamas, not all Palestinians, with his “kill them all” comment — despite the fact that his remark was a direct response to an activist speaking about Palestinian children being bombed using U.S. tax dollars.
Advocates for Palestinian rights have expressed horror at Ogles’s remarks, saying that he should face censure or expulsion.
“Every single member of Congress — without exception, regardless of party — should be asked if they’d support a measure to expel Ogles,” advocate and writer Aidan Smith wrote on social media. “Anything less than a ‘yes’ is an endorsement of this, as far as I’m concerned. Blood-boiling.”
Others pointed out that figures like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) have faced punishment and harsh criticism for simply calling for the liberation of Palestine, while outright calls for genocide from Republicans are largely ignored in Congress.
“Imagine for a second if a pro-Israel activist was talking to [Tlaib] and she said ‘kill them all’ after being asked about dying kids. Think she’d be censured, at the very least?” wrote progressive news site the Tennessee Holler.
Ogles’s chilling statement echoes similar remarks from Republican lawmakers who have also dehumanized Palestinians and called for unmitigated violence against them, including children. These remarks come as experts say that Israel is imposing the worst conditions they’ve seen in modern times on Gaza, and Gazan officials are warning that 700,000 people are on the verge of starving to death in the northern part of the region alone due to Israel’s starvation campaign.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), who has shown up to Congress wearing a uniform for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has repeatedly claimed that there is no such thing as innocent Palestinian civilians or children. “I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of ‘innocent Palestinian civilians,’ as is frequently said,” he said in a speech on the House floor in November.
Then, when confronted by activists in January, Mast said, “it would be better if you kill all the terrorists and kill everyone who are supporters,” before going on to equate Palestinians to “terrorists.” When asked if he’s seen photos of Palestinian children and babies killed by Israel, he said: “These are not innocent Palestinian civilians.”
Mast has not faced reprimand from congressional leaders for his remarks, and it’s unlikely that Ogles will either. Video of the exchange with Ogles has been online since Tuesday, and leaders have yet to say anything about it — likely because they have also been supporting Israel’s indiscriminate massacres in Gaza.
These Republicans’ statements have parallels to ones made by Israeli officials that have come under fire by the International Court of Justice for incitement of genocide, like remarks calling Palestinians “human animals” and vows for Israel to continue its genocide until Palestinians — and all evidence of their existence — are wiped out from Gaza.