Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement calling for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war to allow critical humanitarian aid to reach innocent civilians in Gaza, while reiterating Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.
“Like so many, I’ve watched as the Israel-Hamas war has intensified. I continue to believe that Hamas must be held accountable for the horrific terrorist attack it launched against Israel. And I fear for the innocent families caught in the crossfire—from the Israeli civilians brutally attacked and taken hostage, to Palestinian civilians who are in the midst of an escalating and increasingly dire humanitarian crisis, millions of lives are at stake. I believe hostages taken by Hamas must absolutely be released and returned to their families safely. And I believe that a humanitarian pause in the fighting is necessary to save civilian lives and allow critical humanitarian aid to reach innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
“I firmly believe that Israel has the right to defend itself against the very real and continued threat that Hamas—a group that espouses genocidal intent against Jews—poses to civilians. Still, Israel must do so within the bounds of international law and do its utmost to protect civilians—something I have repeatedly stressed and continue to emphasize.
“We cannot lose sight of the human reality on the ground—the fact that in the middle of every conflict, are civilians—residents displaced from their homes, hostages torn from their families, people facing obstacles getting basic medical services, and kids and families who desperately need food and water.
“Congress has a duty and a moral responsibility to quickly pass legislation that would provide urgently-needed humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza—including food, water, and fuel—as well as security assistance for Israel to defend its citizens against the continued terrorist threat posed by Hamas—and I am working to put together a bipartisan package to do just that right now. As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I want to be clear that any supplemental funding package must include humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza. It is not just the right and moral thing to do, it also is very clearly in our national interest as it promotes long-term stability and security—combatting hopelessness that can spiral into new threats.”
At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Senator Murray chaired on Tuesday, Murray asked Secretary Blinken about the U.S. ensures that humanitarian assistance to Gaza actually reaches the civilians who desperately need it—so that it doesn’t fall into the hands of Hamas. Secretary Blinken made clear that the need for humanitarian aid is urgent and desperate, and outlined the system whereby humanitarian assistance to Gaza is carefully checked and tracked, to ensure that it is being delivered to civilians who need it.
“First, let’s be clear that the needs are desperate. The needs for the most basic things–food, water, medicine, fuel. All of these are literally a matter of life and death, just to focus in on Gaza,” Secretary Blinken said at the hearing. “Men, women, and children displaced–well over a million people displaced in Gaza, about half of them in the care of UNRWA right now, desperately need the most basic things in order to survive. So, from day one, we have been working with the Israeli government, with Egypt, with the UN agencies, as well as with other actors, to try to make sure that assistance could get in to people who need it in Gaza—to get it in a way that doesn’t go to the people who don’t need it, and that’s Hamas…. To date, we don’t have reports—either from the UN or from Israel—that this assistance has been diverted from its intended recipients, but it’s something that we’re going to track very closely.”
Senator Murray emphasized the need to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza at the Senate Democratic leadership press conference this week. Murray has made numerous calls for humanitarian aid and fuel deliveries to Gaza, and has urged President Biden 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. Following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, Senator Murray issued a statement condemning the attacks and voted for the Senate resolution standing with Israel against terrorism.
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