LA area legislators join trip to Israel as tensions over Gaza war grow at home

Four Los Angeles area state legislators are in Israel this week visiting with politicians and families on both sides of the conflict as criticisms of the Israeli invasion of Gaza and calls for a ceasefire continue to rise at home.

Senator Henry Stern of Calabasas and Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi of Torrance, Jesse Gabriel of the San Fernando Valley and Josh Lowenthal of Long Beach are part of the group.

The purpose of the trip is to “meet with impacted communities and bear witness to the devastation caused by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and resulting Israel-Hamas war, both of which have had significant impacts on communities across California,” according to a joint statement by the seven lawmakers on the trip.

Also on the trip are state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Assemblymembers Esmeralda Soria of Fresno and Damon Connolly of San Rafael.

During the trip the Democratic legislators will “visit impacted communities on the Israel-Gaza border and engage in a series of intensive meetings with a diverse group of government and community leaders,” the statement said. The legislators arrived on Tuesday and are scheduled to depart on Sunday.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Since then more than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed in the attack on Gaza, according to the latest estimates from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

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