Human Rights Letter to U.S. Congress Members: Stop U.S. Support for the Catastrophic Suffering Imposed by Israel in Gaza

Dear Members of Congress,

We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our grave concern regarding the preventable humanitarian catastrophe and mass starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip. We urge you to use all available tools, including the suspension of U.S. security assistance in compliance with section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, in order to secure an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance and an end to the ongoing atrocities. As many of our organizations argued previously, continued U.S. security assistance to Israel despite Israel’s near total siege and restrictions on humanitarian aid is a violation of U.S. law. We urge you to take swift action to comply with the law and end U.S. support for the catastrophic suffering Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.

As the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have been warning, starvation and the humanitarian crisis are rapidly worsening throughout Gaza. The humanitarian system is being deliberately and systematically dismantled by the Israeli government’s blockade and restrictions. Alarmingly, the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned on July 29 that the worst-case scenario—famine—is currently unfolding in Gaza. In addition, the IPC states that “humanitarian aid remains extremely restricted due to requests for humanitarian access being repeatedly denied and frequent security incidents. Despite the easing of the blockade on 19 May, only a trickle of humanitarian assistance, mainly food, has entered the Gaza Strip.” Food assistance, however, requires extraordinary risks to access. According to the UN Human Rights Office, the Israeli military has killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured more than 3,000 since May 27 while trying to access aid.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli government has dramatically tightened restrictions on U.S. humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip. The government has fully blocked the entry of humanitarian aid at various times, most recently between March and May of this year; conducted military strikes on humanitarian workers and sites; destroyed critical infrastructure essential to the survival of the civilian population; implemented a deadly new aid distribution mechanism that reduces the number of distribution sites across Gaza; and repeatedly killed civilians seeking assistance.

Such restrictions and attacks have been documented repeatedly throughout the war and therefore cannot be seen as isolated instances, but the policy of the government of Israel.  Human Rights Watch determined that the Israeli government was committing a war crime by using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip; and Oxfam documented war crimes committed by the Israeli government due to its destruction and weaponization of water in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the United States continues to provide Israel with unconditional arms transfers and other military support. Congress has appropriated more than $21 billion in security assistance for Israel since October 7, 2023. In part to fulfill that assistance appropriated by Congress, the Biden and Trump administrations have announced more than $30 billion in potential arms sales, including a sale two months ago for munition guidance kits that have been documented to have been used unlawfully in Gaza.

Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid are not only morally indefensible, they also violate both international and U.S. law. Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2378–1) prohibits the United States from providing security assistance or arms sales to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.”

Unconditional U.S. security assistance in violation of the law and continued support for the Israeli government as it restricts aid with impunity has resulted in an engineered humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We urge you to take all actions at your disposal to end U.S. support for these horrors, enforce U.S. compliance with the law, and use your leverage to bring about an immediate and permanent end to the atrocities, the release of hostages and unlawfully detained prisoners, and access to life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Sincerely,

National and International Organizations

1. A New Policy
2. American Friends Service Committee
3. Amnesty International USA
4. Arms Control Association
5. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
6. Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
7. Center for International Policy Advocacy
8. Center for Jewish Nonviolence
9. Church World Service
10. Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA)
11. CODEPINK Women for Peace
12. Community Alliance for Peace and Justice (CAPJ)
13. DAWN
14. Demand Progress
15. Disciples Palestine Israel Network
16. Doctors Against Genocide
17. Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières USA
18. Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Justice Network
19. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
20. Foreign Policy for America
21. Freedom Forward
22. Friends Committee on National Legislation
23. Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
24. Healthcareworkers for Palestine
25. Historians for Peace and Democracy
26. Human Rights First
27. Human Rights Watch
28. Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project
29. Just Foreign Policy
30. MADRE
31. MedGlobal
32. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
33. MPower Change Action Fund
34. National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
35. Our Revolution
36. Oxfam America
37. Pax Christi USA
38. Peace Action
39. Refugees International
40. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team
41. The Episcopal Church
42. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
43. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
44. The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
45. Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network
46. United Church of Christ
47. United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCC MPS)
48. Women for Weapons Trade Transparency
49. Win Without War

State and Local Organizations

50. Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace
51. Brooklyn For Peace
52. California Palestine Solidarity Coalition
53. Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights
54. East Brunswick, NJ for Ceasefire
55. Evanston Ceasefire
56. Genesee Valley Citizens of Peace
57. Global Justice Committee, New York Progressive Action Network
58. McKean County Green Party
59. Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico
60. Maine Coalition for Palestine
61. MARUF CT (Muslim Advocacy for Rights, Unity and Fairness)
62. Massachusetts Peace Action
63. MO Utopia Project
64. Minnesota Peace Project
65. News and Letters Committees
66. NJ Peace Action
67. NH Peace Action
68. North Carolina Dems for Palestinian Lives
69. North Carolina Peace Action
70. NY8 Neighbors for a Gaza Ceasefire
71. Pax Christi New York State
72. Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!
73. Peace Action of San Mateo County
74. Peace Action Maine
75. Peace Action New York State
76. Peace & Social Justice Committee of the 15th Street Friends Meeting (Quakers)
77. Peace and Justice Coalition of Prince Georges County MD
78. Plymouth for Palestine
79. Raising Luminaries
80. SE MA Coalition for a Free Palestine
81. Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area
82. Southern Oregon Peace Vets
83. United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
84. WESPAC Foundation, Inc