Washington, MINA – US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib led 19 members of Congress on Monday in sending a letter to the Trump administration, urging it to stop the Israeli government’s starvation of Gaza and the killing of Palestinians.
“We are outraged at the weaponization of humanitarian aid and escalating use of starvation as a weapon of war by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Anadolu Agency reported.
For over three months, Israeli authorities have blocked nearly all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, fueling mass starvation and suffering among over 2 million people, they noted.
“Instead of enabling the swift delivery of humanitarian aid, Israel is actively dismantling and weaponizing it,” they said.
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The lawmakers rejected the Israeli government’s new plan that supported by the Trump administration to militarize food distribution and take full control of humanitarian operations in Gaza, arguing that the plan fails to meet basic international standards and has been rejected by UN officials.
“We cannot be silent,” the lawmakers emphasized. “This current blockade is starving Palestinian civilians in violation of international law, and the militarization of food will not help. We demand an immediate end to the blockade, an immediate resumption of unfettered humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, the restoration of US funding to UNRWA, and an immediate and lasting ceasefire. Any other path forward is a path toward greater hunger, famine, and death.”
The letter was sent as Israel continues its offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the US said Monday that it would not halt support to a Gaza humanitarian aid initiative despite Israel’s acknowledgment that civilians were harmed in strikes near aid distribution centers.
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Responding to questions at a briefing, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce rejected the idea of reconsidering US assistance to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose aid distribution sites have been described as “death traps” by critics.
“The IDF (Israeli army) and Israel have announced that they are, of course, investigating certain incidents,” Bruce said.
Since October 2023, more than 56,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health authorities.
The US has faced mounting criticism for its continued military support to Israel amid the rising civilian death toll in Gaza. []
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