Wyden, Colleagues Call for Large-Scale Expansion of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza, and Resumption of Diplomatic Efforts to Secure a Ceasefire and End the War
Senators lay out needed humanitarian and diplomatic next steps in letter to Middle East Special Envoy and Secretary of State after latest round of ceasefire talks faltered last week
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today joined 39 other senators in a letter to the Trump administration expressing alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for the large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid and urging the administration to resume diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement and end the war.
“The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also unsustainable and worsens by the day,” the senators wrote. “Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing. 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. To prevent the situation from getting even worse, we urge you to advocate for a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance.”
The letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff underscores the remaining viable pathway that would end the war, bring home Israeli hostages, ensure Hamas can no longer pose a serious military threat to Israel, and achieve a diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The senators also affirm their opposition to the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people, which would be contrary to international humanitarian law and a sustainable and lasting peace.
“We ask that the Administration make this clear as it seeks an end to the war,” the senators wrote. “We stand in strong support of diplomatic efforts to return all hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring humanitarian relief for the safety and prosperity of the Israeli and the Palestinian people.”
In addition to Wyden, the letter led by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D, Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
Full text of the letter is here.
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