Congresswoman McCollum Speaks out on Starvation Campaign in Gaza

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) issued the following statement on Thursday in response to reports of widespread food shortages in Gaza:

“Since 2006, I have proudly defended the human rights of the Palestinian people living in Gaza and the West Bank. For two decades, I have maintained that the United States must not tolerate the apartheid policy of our ally, Israel. Let me be clear: I was horrified by the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7^th, and my heart aches for the remaining hostages and their families who are waiting for them to return home. However, the disproportionate response to this attack by Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist right-wing government has caused a spiral of death and destruction.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu is only working with the extremists in his government who would prefer that there are no Palestinians. They have corralled an entire population into an unsafe, untenable, and inhumane situation, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has commanded a barbaric military campaign that has killed or injured more than 50,000 children. The current Israeli government has effectively weaponized aid by initially accepting the provision of food and medicine from third parties and then abruptly reversing course and rejecting aid from international aid groups. The reports of death and starvation in Gaza are agonizing, and now there is credible evidence that foreign doctors, journalists, and aid workers are facing starvation along with the people they are trying to save. Instead of working with our international partners to swiftly provide food and medicine to those who need it, the Trump Administration has hastily propped up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which has failed to get food, medicine, or clean water to the people of Gaza. In fact, what started as nearly 400 humanitarian aid sites for 2.1 million Gazans has now dwindled down to only four active sites run by GHF. The lack of distribution sites has caused mass chaos. Palestinians who are fighting for their lives and the lives of their loved ones face nearly impossible odds to get to these distribution sites. The Israel Defense Forces’ response has been to shoot first and ask questions later.

“The Trump Administration is complicit in this staggering injustice. It is failing to work with other democracies and international organizations to get aid into Gaza, and the American people and the world are taking notice. Instead, this administration continues to support the failed policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist government. Just yesterday, House Republicans rejected an amendment in the National Security and State Department appropriations bill that would have provided funding to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network – a faith-based hospital system providing vital services to both Israelis and Palestinians. Even more shocking, the Trump administration last week incinerated 500 metric tons of food meant to help hungry children all over the world, including in Gaza, in what can only be described as a shameful episode of America abdicating its humanitarian obligation. I, along with the world, watch in horror as the Trump Administration buoys Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist right-wing government. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine things would get so bad. No child on this planet should be starved when the United States has the capacity to feed them. I implore my colleagues to consider: How will the world remember us?”

Congresswoman McCollum called for a ceasefire October 17, 2023. Shortly thereafter, she emphasized the importance of an immediate regional ceasefire on November 15, 2023. The Congresswoman added that she believes civilians in Gaza should not have to choose between starving to death or dying in the act of receiving aid.