WASHINGTON — Rep. Sarah Elfreth had planned to go to Israel. But she didn’t.

The House member from Annapolis was among several Democratic lawmakers who were expected to attend a sponsored trip to Israel during the first part of summer recess, but who ultimately changed their minds and decided not to go, according to people familiar with the trip.

The withdrawals happened amid public pressure from Palestine supporters for lawmakers to disassociate with Israel as the fallout over the hunger crisis in Gaza continues.

Two Maryland lawmakers traveled to Israel — Reps. Steny Hoyer, a Prince George’s County Democrat, and Johnny Olszewski, a Baltimore County Democrat. Hoyer co-led the delegation of roughly 20 Democratic lawmakers, sponsored by AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying organization. Elfreth was expected to be a part of the group but dropped out, along with a number of other members who were initially scheduled to join the trip.

A spokesperson for Elfreth’s office said the congresswoman chose to spend the week with her family. When asked if the reversal had to do with pressure to not visit Israel, the spokesperson said they couldn’t comment on the reasons beyond her wanting to spend time with family.

Rep. April McClain Delaney, a Frederick County Democrat, was also scheduled to join the AIPAC delegation before eventually deciding to not go. She would have arrived in Israel after the other lawmakers, after dropping her daughter off at college. However, after her late arrival was delayed even further, she also decided to remain stateside rather than make an abbreviated trip.

About 20 members joined the AIPAC trip, which is ongoing. It’s unclear how many of the original group ended up attending. The trip has become something of a tradition for freshmen Democrats. It’s organized by Hoyer, one of Israel’s staunchest congressional allies.

One person familiar with the trip said they weren’t surprised by the dropouts, saying that Israel-Gaza is a messaging tightrope for Democrats. Members want to show they are in tune with their districts’ feelings about the war, but they don’t want to be too opposed to one of America’s closest allies — even as many have publicly criticized actions by Israel’s government and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.

The group has already met with Mohammed Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, and members of Mustafa’s cabinet. They were also expected to meet with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, before flying home Wednesday night.

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment about the lawmakers who decided not to go.

Democrats have faced a reckoning over Israel. Though the party has historically been a strong supporter of the nation, the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack and Israel’s subsequent military activity in Gaza have caused an emphatic shift within the Democratic base. Many of its voters have a hostile view of Israel and, increasingly, of Israel’s allies in Congress.

Although many Democratic lawmakers have condemned several decisions by the Israeli government, their condemnations often only add to the frustration of Palestinian supporters.

On July 25, Elfreth posted a statement addressing the hunger crisis in Gaza. It called for Israel to “take immediate action to address the need to protect civilian lives and allow for the sustained and unimpeded access to aid and food.” But the comments focused on what wasn’t there.

“Why won’t you call it what it is?” one person said. “It’s a genocide,” another added. There were almost 50 responses, most of them criticizing the statement for not going far enough, while others threatened what would happen if she didn’t do more.

“Unless you forsake strongly worded statements for actions- like refusing future campaign funds from AIPAC,” one person said, “many of us will be forever to support (sic) a more progressive candidate.”

“You’re playing it safe here,” another added. “Refuse @aipac‘s $ next campaign-i and others will be watching that closely.”

The United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, spent over $4 million supporting Elfreth’s congressional campaign. She said last year that the spending spree surprised her.

“I literally read about it when everybody else read about it,” she said.

Both Hoyer and Olszewski have been criticized online for the trip to Israel.

Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, continues to hold captive 50 hostages who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7th attack. Only 20 of those are believed to be alive. And people in Gaza are in an ongoing hunger crisis. Humanitarian aid has been limited for months, with a private organization in charge of food aid distribution at sites controlled by the Israeli military, where over 1,400 people have been killed while seeking food since May, according to the United Nations.

Israel has allowed aid to be airdropped, but that has led to additional injuries and deaths from people being struck by the falling packages. Five more people died from starvation and malnutrition over the weekend, according to the Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas. The deaths bring the total killed by starvation to 217.

Further Israeli military strikes and their plan to occupy Gaza City have exacerbated an already fraught dynamic. The announcement followed a video Hamas posted of an emaciated Israeli hostage digging his own grave.

As the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack approaches, there’s no indication a ceasefire is imminent. Hamas continues to refuse to release the remaining hostages it kidnapped almost two years ago. And the situation in Gaza has only deteriorated.

Six journalists were killed by an Israeli military strike on Gaza City on Sunday, including five for the news outlet Al Jazeera. The Israeli military said it targeted one of the reporters, Anas Al-Sharif, after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell. Al Jazeera has denied the allegation.

A number of Republicans have also made the trek to Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, visited the country last week. Another group of Republican lawmakers on an AIPAC-sponsored trip is there this week. But conservatives are not without their own infighting about Israel-Gaza.

In late July, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia became the first Republican to call what’s happening in Gaza a genocide. In a post on X, she lambasted fellow Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida for callous comments on the hunger crisis.

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