AMNA NAWAZ: A late-night congressional vote fell short of the votes needed to block weapons sales to Israel as it continues its war in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks.

But in a dramatic shift, more than half of Democrats supported the measure, reaching its highest level of support to date.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

She was one of those yes-votes.

And she joins us now from Capitol Hill.

Senator, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Thanks for joining us.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Nice to be with you.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, back in April, you voted against the weapons block.

Last night, you voted for it.

Why the change?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire.

All you have to do is watch the news reports coming out of Gaza to see the people who are desperate for food.

Israel needs to open up those humanitarian corridors.

We need to get food in.

We need to get it distributed in a way that doesn't harm Palestinians in the process of getting the food.

And so I think it's important to send the message to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government that things need to change.

AMNA NAWAZ: So is this about sending a message at this moment in time or does this represent some bigger policy shift?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I think we have to wait and see how the government responds.

But, right now, they have made some slight progress in the last few -- the last week really, since the weekend, and are talking about allowing more humanitarian aid in.

But we need to see many more aid convoys in and we need to make sure that the food gets distributed in a way that doesn't have Hamas or some other group taking that food away from the people who really need it who are starving.

AMNA NAWAZ: So back in April, you cited not wanting to upset what you called the delicate negotiations to restore the cease-fire as part of the reason that you didn't support the weapons sales block now.

Should we take your yes-vote now to mean that you don't have confidence in any cease-fire talks being restored?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, sadly, as we have seen in the last week or so, the cease-fire negotiations fell apart and Doha, and the United States team came home.

So, hopefully, after that Mr. Witkoff is going to go back, they're going to be able to get back to the negotiating table and come to an agreement.

But not only do we need to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but there are still hostages and there are the remains of hostages who are still being held by Hamas.

We need to get them back to their families and put an end to this horrible nightmare that those families are living through.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned not seeing enough action from Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid.

We saw from President Trump this week saying, based on the images that he's seen from Gaza, you can't fake it, meaning the images.

And he says his administration is going to be even more involved.

We know Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee and special envoy Steve Witkoff are on the ground meeting with Netanyahu.

They're going to visit Gaza themselves, even as Mr. Witkoff was pulled from the cease-fire talks.

What do you think is the role that the U.S. should be playing right now?

What's their responsibility right now?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, the responsibility is the Israeli government's responsibility.

But what I think we can do in the United States and what I -- I was pleased to hear President Trump's comments, because I think it heightens the concern that the world has in looking at the pictures coming out of Gaza, looking at the starving children who need that humanitarian aid and they need it now.

So I think that's helpful.

I think anything that envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee can do to be very clear with the Israeli government that the United States has an interest in seeing humanitarian aid get into Gaza is important.

AMNA NAWAZ: And do you think that they should threaten to withhold weapons sales to Israel in order to force some of that action you want to see?

Is that a line you want to see them take?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I think there are a variety of ways in which we can incentivize and provide carrots and sticks to Israel to try and address the situation.

I hope they will discuss a full range of those, and that's certainly one of them.

AMNA NAWAZ: I also need to ask you about a Republican member of Congress this week, Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying that the conduct by Israel in Gaza, in her view, is genocide.

She's the first Republican member of Congress to say that and a Trump loyalist.

Do you agree with her assessment?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think we have a dire -- as I said, a horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza.

We have people who are starving.

I think the Israeli government bears some responsibility for what's happening there and we need to see that change.

And I don't care how you want to label it.

The issue is, how do we make sure people are not starving to death, that starvation is not being used as a weapon of war?

And for all of us who are watching what's happening there, there are real questions about the actions of the Netanyahu government.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the 30 seconds or so I have left, based on the vote you saw last night, are you seeing some larger shift among Democrats in terms of how they view Israel and their conduct in Gaza right now?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think people are more and more concerned about what's happening there.

You can't watch the pictures coming out of Gaza, you can't see the stories of the children who are suffering, the people who have been killed when they're trying to get to the food, and not be concerned about what's happening there.

And I think that's what's being reflected in the vote last night.

AMNA NAWAZ: Senator Jeanne Shaheen, thank you so much for taking the time to join us tonight.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: We appreciate it.