Washington, D.C. — Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Eugene Vindman (D-VA) – all U.S. military veterans – sent a letter to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter expressing “serious concern with the dire humanitarian aid situation in Gaza” and calling on Israel to “flood Gaza with humanitarian aid" to take away the leverage that scarce aid has provided to Hamas. 

The lawmakers write: “As veterans of America’s counterinsurgency campaigns over the last 25 years, we believe Israel has a responsibility and moral obligation to actively prevent harm to civilians, particularly children.” 

“Food scarcity has provided Hamas an opportunity to weaponize aid for profit and control. We urge Israel, instead, to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid. If food is abundant and easily available, it will deny Hamas the ability to use it as an instrument of coercion. Throughout over twenty years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, when we admittedly learned many lessons the hard way, we almost never saw insurgents using food as a weapon because we helped ensure it was always in ample supply. We strongly believe Israel would benefit from adopting a similar strategy especially since it will take away leverage from Hamas.”

They continue: “Not just restoring aid, but providing far more aid than in the past, will show Palestinians that their future is protected not by Hamas but by the international community, and it will help pave the way to a ceasefire that includes the return of remaining hostages and, ultimately, a long-term political solution for lasting peace in the region.”

The full letter can be read HERE.

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