In letter to President, Casey expresses grave concern about food insecurity crisis in Gaza and reiterates need for more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to address the growing humanitarian crisis and famine in Gaza. In the letter, Senator Casey expressed grave concern about the deepening food insecurity crisis in Gaza, which has already cost dozens of lives in the region. Casey reiterated his support for Israel’s right to wage war against Hamas terrorists, but also emphasized Israel’s obligation to enable humanitarian assistance and called for President Biden to urge Israel to take a number of steps to increase delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Lack of food has already begun to claim lives. Gazan Health Ministry officials reported that, in recent days, over 25 people have died from malnutrition, including a two-month-old infant,” wrote Senator Casey. “5,000 Gazan women giving birth each month suffer from malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of health care, putting both their lives and their children’s lives at risk. New fathers must scour markets to find enough food for their wives to breastfeed and keep their children alive.”
In the letter, Casey called for President Biden to press Israel to reopen the Erez border crossing, significantly speed up its inspections for aid entering Gaza, and open additional crossings to increase the rate of aid delivery. He also emphasized the need to amass sufficient humanitarian resources to meet the needs of Palestinians not just today, but well into the future in order to ensure the region can recover after the war is over.
Read the full letter HERE or below:
March 18, 2024
President Biden,
Thank you for your continued efforts to address the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, your steadfast support of Israel, and your work to provide aid to Palestinians who urgently need humanitarian assistance. The conflict has been largely contained, and Israel has made significant progress in destroying Hamas. In the midst of these successes, however, the humanitarian crisis has worsened, in part due to Hamas intercepting food aid and complicating distribution through its human shield military tactics.
I am particularly concerned about the crisis levels of food insecurity and potential for famine in Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) has determined that half of the Gaza’s population is struggling with catastrophic hunger and one in three children under the age of two living in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished. WFP’s Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau stated that the acute malnutrition and wasting in Gaza is “the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world... If nothing changes a famine in imminent in northern Gaza.” Similarly, Save the Children has stated that, due to the inability to deliver aid safely, all 1.1 million children in Gaza face starvation. Many have been forced to “forage for scraps of food left by rats and eating leaves.” Weeks have passed since both these statements, and the humanitarian crisis has only deepened.
Lack of food has already begun to claim lives. Gazan Health Ministry officials reported that, in recent days, over 25 people have died from malnutrition, including a two-month-old infant. The 5,000 Gazan women giving birth each month suffer from malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of health care, putting both their lives and their children’s lives at risk. New fathers must scour markets to find enough food for their wives to breastfeed and keep their children alive.
Northern Gaza faces the worst levels of food insecurity because aid has not reliably reached the region. Even if Israel approves an aid convoy to head north, convoys receive little security support and cratered roads and ever more desperate crowds of starving Gazans have made the 45-minute trip from Rafah to Gaza City increasingly difficult.
Israel has every right to wage war against Hamas terrorists for their brutal massacre of 1,200 Israeli civilians on October 7. This right to self-defense does not supersede or obviate Israeli humanitarian obligations in Gaza. The vast majority of Gazans did not participate in the October 7 attacks on Israel. They are, like most, seeking a safe, stable livelihood and food for their families. Yet, under current conditions, safety and food are luxuries. More must be done to respond to crisis levels of food insecurity in Gaza.
I am encouraged by your Administration’s efforts to airlift in aid and build a temporary sea port to provide additional entry routes for assistance to Gaza. I am confident that your efforts enabled the deliveries of aid through Israel’s 96th Gate and ships supported by World Central Kitchen. I urge you to continue these efforts and build upon the World Central Kitchen’s model until the sea port is completed. Even after the sea port is operational in several months, it and other existing aid efforts will likely not meet the totality of humanitarian needs in Gaza.
The Palestinian people require increased aid by all possible avenues, but especially by land. Aid delivered by ground transportation is significantly more cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable, and delivery routes already exist. As such, I reiterate my calls for you to urge Israel to reopen the Erez border crossing, significantly speed up its inspections for aid entering Gaza, and open additional crossings to increase the rate of aid delivery. In particular, the Erez crossing will allow for aid providers to support those Gazans most isolated and in need—the sick, elderly, disabled, and young who could not leave their homes when Israel ordered an evacuation to the south in late October. In your talks with Israel, I encourage you to focus on the data and setting clear targets for the tonnage of specific types of aid that must enter Gaza.
In addition to increasing the volume of aid that can flow into Gaza, specifically northern Gaza, we must also amass sufficient humanitarian resources to meet Palestinians needs, and not just their needs today. Gaza’s heavy reliance on humanitarian aid, even before October 7, amplified by Israel’s destruction of the enclave’s infrastructure, make certain the long-term need for significant quantities of humanitarian aid and strengthened delivery mechanisms.
The United States must lead on these efforts. To that end, I commend your request for billions in humanitarian aid. I was proud to vote for the National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which included approximately $1.4 billion to support Palestinians in need. However, other states in the Middle East seeking regional stability need to step up and commit financially to support the Palestinians. Only the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia contributed more than one percent of the $300 million Flash Appeal requested by the United Nations to provide aid to the Palestinians. I ask that you negotiate commitments for material support from other states in the Middle East as you urge Israel to permit aid to enter at the rate necessary to meet the needs of Palestinians.
Thank you again for your work to address all aspects of the crisis in the Middle East, and thank you for your consideration of my requests.
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