October 19, 2023

Warren, Murphy, Lawmakers Call for Humanitarian Aid to Address Emergency Needs in Gaza

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, led 32 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Biden administration to lead the international community in contributing to the United Nations’ emergency appeal of $294 million to address the immediate humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza.

“As a result of the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza prompted by Hamas’ horrific terror attacks, more than 1.2 million people are in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” the senators wrote. “More than one million people have fled the violence, stretching the already strained ability of the United Nations and humanitarian partners on the ground to provide the food, medical treatment, and shelter they need to survive,” 

“We support Israel’s right to defend its people against the brutal attacks carried out by Hamas,” the senators continued. “Hamas knew that the Israeli government would have to respond to the unconscionable murder and hostage-taking of its citizens and thus bears the blame for initiating this conflict. We also know there are many innocent Palestinians in Gaza who do not support Hamas and urgently need help as they seek to flee the fighting.”

The senators highlighted the dire situation facing innocent civilians in Gaza: “More than one million people in Gaza have fled their homes in search of safety, with nearly half of those taking shelter in UN facilities. The United Nations estimates that Gaza will run out of food and water within days. Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, running desperately short on supplies and impacted by the lack of electricity. The humanitarian needs on the ground have dramatically increased over the past week, and conditions will likely continue to deteriorate in the days and weeks ahead.”

“We therefore urge you to join the international community in answering the call from the United Nations by contributing toward this lifesaving $294 million appeal, and ask that you work with the UN and its partners to ensure that the assistance reaches the intended recipients without diversion or delay,” the senators concluded.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) , and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) also signed the letter. 

Senator Warren remains committed to establishing lasting peace in Gaza and protecting innocent civilians, including: 

  • In October of 2023, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urging them to do everything possible to provide assistance to U.S. citizens fleeing the Gaza Strip, including constituents from New England. In the letter, the Senators expressed concern about Americans who remain in Israel and Gaza, including a family from Medway, Massachusetts who is stuck in Gaza. 

  • In October 2023, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and U.S. Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill.) led 102 lawmakers in a bipartisan letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Brian Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), raising grave concerns about reports that in the months leading up to their brutal October 7th terrorist attack on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) raised millions of dollars via crypto, evading U.S. sanctions to fund their operations. 

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