Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) suggested Saturday that the “best chance” to deescalate the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas is by negotiating a new deal to release the remaining hostages taken captive by the group at the war’s onset.
In Kaine’s view, the deal would also help to calm tensions between Houthi rebels in Yemen, the U.S. and their allies in the region.
“I think there’s only one path to de-escalation right now,” Kaine said in an interview with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi. “The US should pursue it with vigor and that’s the hot that’s a hostage deal to release hostages still held by Hamas.”
Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said that retaliatory attacks against the Houthis for their deadly activity in the Red Sea are warranted, but they are not bringing the tensions of the situation down.
“The President has said with respect to the attacks on the Houthis and the Red Sea, that they don’t expect the attacks to de-escalate, more missiles fired at Houthis is likely to lead to more missiles fired on ships in the Red Sea,” Kaine said. “And so the strategy of these attacks and then hoping to de-escalate, thus far isn’t working.”