Senate Democrats urge Trump administration to act as Gaza famine deepens

WASHINGTON

More than 40 Senate Democrats urged the Trump administration to take immediate steps Tuesday to address the escalating famine in the Gaza Strip and resume diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire.

They warned that inaction risks deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the senators harshly criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-Israeli initiative launched in February, for failing to deliver vital aid and for contributing to a rising civilian death toll around food distribution sites.

"The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also unsustainable and worsens by the day. Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing," wrote the group, led by Sens. Chris Coons, Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, Brian Schatz and Jacky Rosen.

"The ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ has failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites," they said.

The lawmakers stressed the need for experienced NGOs and multilateral agencies to deliver aid, warning that the situation will only worsen without immediate action. They also voiced strong opposition to the permanent displacement of Palestinians as “antithetical to international humanitarian law.”

“We stand in strong support of diplomatic efforts to return all hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring humanitarian relief,” they added.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2, has closed all crossings, blocking the entry of aid convoys and ignoring international calls to reopen them.

Gaza’s Health Ministry indicated that at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.