The Revere lawmaker is the highest-ranking congressional Democrat to use that historically significant term to refer to the worsening conflict.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, drawing a dismissal from the militant group and renewed international calls to end the conflict, while stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Israel's goal was not to occupy Gaza, but to "free Gaza."

Hamas' meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ways to stop the war, deliver aid, and "end the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement.

Asked in an interview with Fox News if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza,” Netanyahu replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza.” The Security Cabinet would still need to approve such a decision.

“This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” Netanyahu wrote. His post echoes sentiments he shared during a Fox News interview on Thursday, when he said a takeover of Gaza’s (formerly) most populous city would “liberate” its people.

Hamas terror organization's endgame is rooted in long-term strategy, using civilians as shields and tools of international pressure while pursuing Israel’s destruction.

President Trump said Monday that Hamas cannot be allowed to stay in the Gaza Strip due to the horrors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack — as he weighs the risks of Israel’s looming invasion

Netanyahu persists with a war with no purpose — in which Israeli casualties increase and Hamas is strengthened every day — for three purely personal reasons.

The emotional images of Jews being ripped from their homes by Israeli soldiers galvanized Israel’s far-right and settler movements.