Progressive Democrat caucus loses another member over anti-Israel positions

Divisions in the Democrat Party's progressive wing are continuing to deepen in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, forcing some pro-Israel Democrats out of key factions.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. has left the House Congressional Progressive Caucus, Axios first reported on Wednesday, making him the second Democrat to depart the caucus in recent months. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., left in November last year.

Torres has been at odds with some of his Democratic colleagues, including far-left "Squad" members about his support for Israel.

In December, he and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., clashed after she suggested Torres was comfortable with Palestinian casualties as a result of Israel's response to the Hamas attacks.

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"Every casualty is a tragedy, every war is a humanitarian crisis, but we have to keep in mind the causes of the war," he told CNN host Dana Bash in an interview. "Israel did not start the war, the war was imposed upon Israel by the barbaric terrorism of Hamas, which butchered 1,400 Israelis, including babies," he said, referring to the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 in southern Israel.

"You know, my colleague, Rep. Omar, has voted against Iron Dome, which is a missile defense system that protects Israeli civilians from relentless rocket fire," he told CNN host Dana Bash. "Were it not for Iron Dome interceptions, there would be far more dead Israelis – far more, by orders of magnitude. So the policy position that she has taken would have led to more dead Israelis and more dead Palestinians."

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In December, Torres