A partisan divide quickly emerged Tuesday over the Israeli strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, with senior Republican lawmakers expressing support for the attack, while top Democrats criticized it.

Republican lawmakers largely characterized the strike as justified and unsurprising given the Hamas leaders’ responsibility for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, while Democrats argued that the strike compromised the ability to negotiate with Hamas officials for a ceasefire and should not have been carried out in the territory of a U.S. ally.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Jewish Insider, “I support it.”

“I think Hamas has got to be destroyed, and there’s no sense in doing half measures,” Wicker continued.

Sen. James Risch (R-ID), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told JI that the strike was “not surprising.”

“Any member of Hamas who had anything to do with the invasion of Israel is in jeopardy, it’s a given,” Risch said. “Is now, always has been.”

He said he does not see the strike as having any broader implications for the U.S. relationship with Qatar.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) suggested that similar attacks on Hamas leaders may continue.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization. Israel has been focused on taking out that terrorist organization. These are the folks that Israel firmly believes were directly responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks,” Rounds said. “I think we’re going to see Israel continue to go after those individuals that are accountable for that terrorist activity.”

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said that “Qatar has been told they probably ought not to harbor terrorist organizations, so Israel is going to defend itself and take out terrorist organizations.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the strike shows that “Israel is serious about defending itself and taking out the terrorists.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) posted on X, “To those who planned and cheered on the October 7 attack against Israel, the United States’ greatest ally in the region: This is your fate.”

Senate Democrats took a starkly different perspective.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the strike “extremely disruptive, provocative and dangerous” and a “great strategic mistake.”

“Qatar has been a strong ally of the United States, one of our biggest bases in the region is there. … They, in fact, took a rocket attack after Iran tried to hit our troops at Al Udeid. They’ve provided significant financial support to our efforts in the Middle East,” Reed told JI, referring to retaliatory strikes by Iran on the U.S. airbase in Doha after the U.S. attacked its nuclear facilities in June.

He also argued that the strike, which targeted Hamas leaders who were part of negotiations with the U.S. and Israel, showed that Israel is not serious about reaching a ceasefire deal. A Hamas official on Monday publicly rejected the latest ceasefire proposal sponsored by the U.S., along with others.

“The Hamas representatives are there for at least some type of discussion about a ceasefire, and the signal I think that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu [sends] is ‘I don’t want a ceasefire under any terms.’ So those hostages continue to languish,” Reed said.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said at a Council on Foreign Relations event on Tuesday that “it’s unfortunate that Israel bombed in Doha, one of our allies.”

“I understand that they were going after one of the Hamas leaders — and we all agree that Hamas should be eliminated — but we have to be thoughtful about escalating things in a way that [isn’t] helpful, especially when we’ve got this opportunity in the region.”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) called the Israeli strike “rather aggressive.”

“Hamas is a terrorist organization but Qatar often hosts the political side of the organizations so there is some avenue for communication,” Kelly told JI. “And they’re an ally of ours. It’s an aggressive thing to do, but I haven’t seen the details yet.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) offered a somewhat more nuanced view, acknowledging to JI that it’s “been enormously frustrating for the Israelis and the U.S. that Qatar has sheltered Hamas.”

“But every once in a while, they have been an effective intermediary on things like hostages. So exactly what was the decision-making about why this was the right move now, I’m interested to know it,” Kaine said. “Until I get an answer to that, I’m probably not going to opine about it. But I understand the serious frustration with what Qatar has done with Hamas. I just need to know more.”

Several other Democrats including Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) declined to comment, saying they needed more information before discussing the attack, as did Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the No. 2 Senate Republican.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Senate Democrat who full-throatedly supported the strike, posting a gif on X of a smiling, dancing Winnie the Pooh.

The image, Fetterman told JI, “sums it up. Just like the beepers” — a reference to the Israeli attack on Hezbollah officials in Lebanon a year ago. “I love it. Hold them [Hamas] accountable.”