U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton released an official statement endorsing a cease-fire-for-hostages deal in the Israel-Hamas war and warning against an Israeli offensive into Rafah on Tuesday.

Sydney Simon, Moulton’s communications director, wrote in an email that the statement was released in order to update constituents, “especially with the negotiations for the hostage-cease-fire deal starting back up and the ongoing discussions over Israel’s plans for Rafah.”

In his statement, Moulton wrote that “since the barbaric terrorist attacks of Oct. 7,” he has consistently argued that four guiding principles should be shared by all sides of the conflict. Those principles, he said, are Israel’s right to exist and obligation to defend itself, the necessity of a two-state solution for the freedom and security of Israelis and Palestinians, the requirement that Israel has a clear post-conflict plan supported by both sides, and that hatred in the United States, “including the vicious 400% rise in antisemitism, only gets us farther from peace.”

Moulton wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently violated those principles by rejecting a two-state solution and restricting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He wrote that Netanyahu’s actions contradict Israeli strategic interests and “basic human decency.”

“While I continue to strongly support Israel’s mission to defeat Hamas, I strongly oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu’s brutalist approach to trying to do so — an approach I know from my experience in Iraq will ultimately be self-defeating and has already resulted in a humanitarian crisis of epic scale,” Moulton wrote.

Moulton warned that an Israeli offensive into Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip where more than 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to since the beginning of the conflict, would reject the consensus of the international community, Israeli military and intelligence leaders, and global military and humanitarian professionals. He added that the offensive would make the situation dramatically worse.

Moulton also said that Hamas’ rejection of “the reasonable terms” of the proposed cease-fire-for-hostage deal would lead to the continuation of “horrific violence.”

“Hamas must agree to join Israel in an immediate bilateral cease-fire and take steps towards long-term de-escalation,” Moulton said. “Let’s never forget that this war would end immediately if the terrorist organization Hamas would surrender.”

Moulton said the deal represents the best chance to prevent further death in the conflict.

On March 6, four activist organizations from the state — Northshore for Palestine, Palestinian House of New England, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Jewish Voice for Peace Boston — held a silent protest outside Moulton’s office in Salem, asking him to “take action” and call for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza.

Tirzah Mason, who spoke on behalf of Jewish Voice for Peace Boston at the March 6 protest, responded to Moulton’s statement.

“(The statement) started out pretty well, he’s acknowledging that the Israelis are screwing up big time,” Mason told The Item. “But, he’s really not said anything new.”

Mason said the United States should stop funding the Israeli military, and that Moulton should vote against providing military aid to Israel.

“This situation is not complex, it’s simple. We have to stop killing innocent people. The way we do that is we stop funding it,” Mason said. “(Moulton’s) in a position to actually make that happen, he actually can vote to make that happen and he’s not doing that.”

Sunny Robinson, a member of Massachusetts Peace Action who spoke at the protest, wrote that Moulton’s statement represents a step forward.

“I note with approval that Moulton here concedes that Netanyahu has restricted aid,” Robinson wrote in an email to The Item and the congressman’s office.

She added that the United States must suspend its military assistance to Israel, and called for massive humanitarian assistance to Gaza. 

“Therefore, I call again on the congressman to publicly call for a permanent cease-fire,” Robinson wrote.