TAKE ACTION: Urge U.S. Officials to Call for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza, Support Humanitarian Aid, and Protect Civilian Life

Since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in October and as of May 3, more than 34,622 Gazan Palestinians have been killed – nearly half of whom were children – and all 2.23 million people in Gaza are facing acute food insecurity. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, “Israel has mounted a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

As famine looms, the U.S. has halted funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), the only organization equipped to provide the wide-scale humanitarian assistance that Gazans urgently need. In response to yet-unsubstantiated allegations that twelve UNRWA aid workers were involved in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7th, the Biden administration suspended aid to the agency in February, a move Congress subsequently codified via an appropriations bill that cut off U.S. aid to UNRWA until at least March 2025. The suspension of U.S. aid to UNRWA comes even as Australia, Canada, Japan, the European Commission, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and France recognized that UNRWA remains the only entity with capacity to address humanitarian needs at scale in Gaza and resumed their funding for the agency.

Once the largest donor to UNRWA, the United States’ decision to withhold aid has gravely imperiled civilians’ access to food and medical care and amounts to collective punishment. Malnutrition is killing increasing numbers of children and thousands of Gazans are dying of preventable diseases and treatable injuries while the Israeli government deliberately blocks access to food, safe drinking water, and basic medical necessities, including anesthesia.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to bombard Gaza, targeting sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and refugee camps, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure. In early April, Israeli forces attacked and killed seven aid workers from the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, adding to the staggering death toll of over 200 humanitarian aid workers and undermining efforts to deliver lifesaving aid.

Israel says it has imminent plans to invade the southern city of Rafah, where over one million people are currently sheltering. Gaza’s borders remain largely sealed, leaving desperate civilians with nowhere safe to go. As Israeli forces restrict humanitarian aid, target and kill journalists and their families, and commit atrocities against civilians, the U.S. continues to provide financial support to bolster the Israeli military. Recently, ten experts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) concluded that Israel is violating international law and impeding the delivery of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid. Continued arms transfers from the U.S. to Israel violate a White House directive that governments must abide by international humanitarian law if they are to receive U.S. weapons.

Join us in urging U.S. officials to call upon Israel to enact an immediate and lasting ceasefire, restore funding for lifesaving humanitarian aid, halt offensive weapons transfers to Israel and address root causes of violence and forced displacement by ending the occupation and working towards a future in which all people of Palestine and Israel live in peace and freedom.

We further call upon U.S. officials to pressure Hamas leadership to immediately release all hostages taken as part of that group’s horrific and reprehensible attacks against Israel on October 7th.

Nearly seven months since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza, civilian deaths continue to mount at an appalling rate. According to the United Nations, as of May 3:

More than 34,622 Gazans have been killed and more than 77,765 reported injured
Approximately 70% of those killed thus far have been women and children
Of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, more than 1.7 million, or 75% of its population, have been driven from their homes
2.2 million Gazans are facing high levels of acute food insecurity and half of Gazans are at imminent risk of famine
Over 60% of Gaza’s housing units have been destroyed or damaged
Only 12 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially
100% of students are unable to access education and more than 297 teachers have been killed

No civilians in Gaza will be safe until the fighting ends and Gazans can access the lifesaving aid that they desperately need. Here are three ways to take action:

1. CONTACT YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
On the right-hand side, you can send an email to the administration and your Members of Congress

Sample Script/Email: My name is [insert name] and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge you to immediately take action to protect human life in Gaza. I join a growing chorus of voices from around the U.S. and the world – representing a diverse spectrum of religious traditions, generations, and political beliefs – in appealing to you to:

Publicly call for an immediate and lasting bilateral ceasefire and leverage diplomatic pressure to discourage Israel from pursuing its plans to attack the city of Rafah, where over one million Gazans are sheltering
Support legislation to reinstate U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA)
Support the suspension of military arms transfers to Israel while Israel violates the terms of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
Begin to address the root causes of violence and displacement by ending the occupation and working towards a future in which all Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace, with security and human rights protected for all.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) is the only organization equipped to provide the wide-scale humanitarian assistance that Gazans urgently need. Depriving UNRWA of funding gravely imperils civilians’ access to food and medical care, and amounts to collective punishment. I urge you to support the introduction and passage of legislation reinstating U.S. funding for UNRWA.

Since October and as of May 3, approximately 1.7 million Palestinians have been internally displaced within Gaza, over 34,622 Palestinians have been killed, over 77,867 injured, and the Israeli military has targeted and destroyed an overwhelming amount of vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and refugee camps. More than 6,700 Palestinians have been arbitrarily detained during the same period, with 9,000 currently held as “security prisoners” and over 3,400 in administrative detention without charge or trial. Israel says it has imminent plans to invade the southern city of Rafah, where over one million people are currently sheltering. Gaza’s borders remain largely sealed, leaving desperate civilians with nowhere safe to go.

In the West Bank, between October 7 and March 31, the U.N. has recorded over 1,096 setter attacks against Palestinians, almost double the daily average prior to the escalation in violence and the highest since the U.N. began recording settler violence in 2006.

I urge you to publicly call for a lasting ceasefire and promote respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of all civilian life, and the reinstatement of UNRWA funding. Thank you.”

2. CALL PRESIDENT BIDEN
You can call President Biden at 202-456-1111 or by using the tool on the right-hand side. Below is a script to guide your message:

Sample Script/Email: My name is [insert name] and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I join a growing chorus of voices in urging you to immediately take action to protect human life in Gaza. Specifically, I implore you to:

Publicly call for an immediate and lasting bilateral ceasefire and leverage diplomatic pressure to discourage Israel from pursuing its plans to attack the city of Rafah, where over one million Gazans are sheltering
Reinstate U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, the only organization equipped to respond at scale to tremendous human need in Gaza
Cease military arms transfers to Israel while Israel violates the terms of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
Begin to address the root causes of violence and displacement by ending the occupation and working towards a future in which all Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and freedom.

It is incumbent upon the U.S. to demonstrate clear moral leadership by acting immediately to protect human life, uphold international humanitarian law, and seek long-term peace in Gaza and throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Thank you.”

3. AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Share this message with national leaders on social media! See below for sample social media posts:

@legislator: Collective punishment is wrong and a violation of international law. It’s past time for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
@POTUS: U.S. military assistance to Israel is contributing to the suffering and death of civilians in Gaza. I urge you to call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, secure the release of hostages, and protect civilian life.
@legislator: You have a moral obligation to help protect civilians and to support their access to food, water, and fuel in Gaza.
@legislator: Too many Gazans have been killed already. Failing to restore full funding to UNRWA will cost more civilians their lives.

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