Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a broad group of 39 senators, led by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), in expressing unified alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for the large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid, and urging the Trump administration to resume diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement, bring the hostages home, and end the war.
“The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is […] unsustainable and worsens by the day,” wrote the senators. “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, sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, emphasizes that a diplomatic pathway exists to end the war, bring home Israeli hostages, ensure Hamas can no longer pose a serious military threat to Israel, and achieve a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The senators also affirmed 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 concluded. “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.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported Israel’s right to defend itself and has strongly advocated for a two-state solution to end the decades of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Following Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7th, 2023, she called on President Biden to do everything in his power to bring home the hostages and deliver vital humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. She also urged the Biden administration to crack down on the financing of international terrorist organizations, including Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism.
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