Press Releases

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA), and 93 House Democrats in calling for the Israeli government to immediately resume shipments of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

“As supporters of a strong US-Israel relationship, we write to express our opposition to the current Israeli government policy to block all humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “In addition to the harm imposed on Palestinian civilians, it is strategically counterproductive and will only hurt Israel’s international standing and long term security. While we share concerns about Hamas diverting humanitarian assistance, we encourage your government to work with the United States, alongside humanitarian organizations, to do everything possible to minimize the risk of diverted resources without harming civilians.”

In their letter, the lawmakers underscore, “...nine weeks into the total blockade, the humanitarian conditions in Gaza are staggering, leading to new levels of despair for Palestinian civilians. Food stockpiles from the ceasefire have been largely depleted, and the World Food Programme has stated that all 25 subsidized bakeries across Gaza have been forced to close without enough cooking gas or flour.”

“We implore your government to resume the flow of aid into Gaza. We also reiterate our support for a renewed ceasefire and hostage release deal to finally end this war — the only option to alleviate the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians,” the lawmakers concluded.

For a full copy of the letter, click here.