At least 94 US House Democrats have called on Israel to end its aid blockade on Gaza, arguing that the move harms Israel’s global reputation, the Middle East Eye reported on May 8th.
The lawmakers have also said that the move is “strategically counterproductive.” The Democrats called for a swift course of action so that shipments can restart and to join forces with the US and aid organisations to stop resources from rerouting.
The request comes as UN bodies warn of devastating hunger after months of the humanitarian aid blockade preventing assistance from reaching Gaza’s 2.3 million people.
On April 7th, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich pledged to uphold a full ban on aid to Gaza, Middle East Eye reported. At the Yedioth Ahronoth’s People of Israel Conference, he declared “[n]ot even a grain of wheat will enter Gaza.”
Since Israel restarted its assault on March 18th, more than 1,400 Palestinians have died and over 3,600 sustained wounds. Although earlier reports hinted Israeli leaders might loosen aid limits, Smotrich dismissed that notion.
The IDF has continued bombing and seized major areas as “security buffer zones,” The Guardian reported on April 24th. The UN says that 70% of Gaza faces evacuation orders or is labelled a no-go area.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that children and adults were suffering from hunger and Gaza’s healthcare system was nearing failure. He declared that “hundreds of thousands of people have” endured displacement. Dujarric added: “Ambulances have had to scale back life-saving services because there’s almost no fuel to power these ambulances,” Anadolu Agency reported on April 21st.
A new ceasefire agreement is “[t]he only option to alleviate the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians,” the Democrat lawmakers said.
Middle East Eye, Anadolu Agency, The Guardian
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