(Colorado Newsline) Colorado state Rep. Tim Hernández apologized Friday for not explicitly condemning the attacks made on Israel last week by Hamas, as criticism and calls for his expulsion from the state Legislature grow.

“I condemn Hamas and their attack on innocent Israelis but it has resulted in the deaths and murders of Israeli folks, Palestinian folks, Arabs, Americans and so many others. People who are harmed and suffering deserve our respect, and I have to apologize for the way that I caused harm by not making that explicitly clear. I got here because of my choices and because I wasn’t engaged with impacted community members,” the Denver Democrat said in a video posted on social media early Friday evening.

Hernández attended a rally supporting Palestinians on Saturday, the day the Palestinian militant group Hamas entered into Israel and killed or kidnapped hundreds of civilians. He also liked social media posts that seemed to celebrate the attack, but has since unliked them.

“My lack of condemnation when I was asked a question at the rally during a tense exchange left people with a lot of questions,” he said. “I understand now that my public actions and lack of clarity caused harm to our community.”

Hernández was appointed to his seat to fill a vacancy in August.

An opponent of the rally on Saturday filmed Hernández during a heated exchange during which he did not explicitly condemn Hamas. That video has since gone viral on the internet, fueling a national campaign of intense criticism from Republicans, who have called him antisemetic and have referred to him as Tim “Hamas” Hernández.

Hernández first released a statement on the issue Monday night where he condemned the war and violence against citizens. On Tuesday, however, House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Majority Leader Monica Duran said in a statement that they were “deeply disappointed” that Hernández did not condemn Hamas.

The situation escalated Thursday when 15 of the House of Representatives’ 19 Republican members signed a letter, written by Rep. Brandi Bradley of Douglas County, demanding that Democrats push for Hernández’s expulsion from the chamber. Expulsion is extremely rare and requires a two-thirds vote. The Legislature reconvenes in January unless Gov. Jared Polis or two-thirds of the chamber call a special session sooner.

“Whenever there is a call to openly support the murder, rape, and kidnapping of men, women, and children based on their ethnicity or nationality, such a time is realized. No measure should be taken by the State to silence Rep. Henandez while acting lawfully within his rights as a citizen, however disturbing, but as an official of the State of Colorado, it is wholly appropriate to remove a representative who openly supported and celebrated what Hamas did over the weekend,” the letter reads.

The rally was not a celebration of Hamas or its actions, according to the group that organized it. The Colorado Palestine Coalition said in a statement on its Instagram that they held the gathering to raise awareness for the blockade on Palestinian territories and imminent retaliation on Gaza by the Israeli government.

Since Saturday, the Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed over 1,500 people, according to the Associated Press. The initial attack in Israel killed at least 1,300 people. Thousands of Israeli and Palestinian people are wounded. Israel ordered around 1 million people to leave the northern half of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which the United Nations said would have “devastating” consequences.

“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, said in a statement Thursday.

Also on Friday, Polis issued a proclamation against antisemitism. It reads that “in a time of increasing antisemitism, we should be vigilant in ensuring people understand and speak out against antisemitism when they hear it or see it,” and it affirms the state’s support of Jewish Coloradans.

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