US Congresswoman on Gaza: 'What is happening is beyond self-defense'

Madeleine Dean, a US congresswoman from Pennsylvania, issued a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, joining a number of American lawmakers calling for an end to Israel's war on the besieged enclave.

Dean recently came back from a trip to Israel and occupied Palestine, and said in a statement that what she saw there "confirmed my concerns and fears".

"Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself, its sovereignty, and its citizens — but what is happening is beyond self-defense and is unacceptable to me," Dean said in a statement.