‘Horrors upon horrors': How US Congress responded to mass hunger in Gaza
Some Democratic lawmakers pointedly condemned Israel over the past few days, slamming the US and Israeli-backed GHF food distribution mechanism that has led to the killing of more than 1,000 Palestinian aid seekers.
But others issued vague statements calling for aid to enter Gaza without directly blaming Israeli policies.
'This is the reality: Having already killed or wounded 200,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the extremist Israeli government is using mass starvation to engineer the ethnic cleansing of Gaza,' progressive Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement late on Friday.
He accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of carrying out an 'extermination' campaign in Gaza.
The anger threatens to shake the strong bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed for decades in Congress, which authorises the billions in military aid that the staunch US ally receives from Washington annually.
But so far, there does not appear to be a significant push to impose actual consequences on the Israeli government for its forced mass hunger campaign in Gaza.
Just last week, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve $500m in missile defence support to Israel.
'This cannot continue'
On Saturday, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen hit out at Netanyahu and US President Trump for replacing humanitarian aid groups in Gaza 'with mercenaries – leading to more death and devastation'.
'Every day, the horrors in Gaza reach new, unimaginable depths,' Van Hollen wrote in a social media post.
The Trump administration has been talking up US support for the GHF operation – which the United Nations and rights groups have described as a 'death trap' and 'human slaughterhouses' – and falsely blaming Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
'This cannot continue,' Van Hollen said.
Congressman John Garamendi suggested that Israel's 'dangerous and wilful failure to enable humanitarian aid' in Gaza amounts to genocide.
Only a handful of progressive congressmembers have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, of an effort to destroy the Palestinian people.
But leading rights groups and UN experts have concluded that the Israeli military campaign is genocidal.
'Israel has the ability and the means to deliver adequate food to the Palestinians,' Garamendi said in a statement. 'They also have the obligation under international law to deliver it; it's the choice of Prime Minister Netanyahu not to feed Gaza.'
It must end. My statement on the starvation crisis in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/QzeVD2wjCp
— John Garamendi (@RepGaramendi) July 26, 2025
Numerous Israeli officials have publicly said that they aim to cut off aid to Gaza and force all Palestinians to leave the territory, effectively promoting ethic cleansing. Many have suggested that there are no innocent people in the enclave.
Earlier this week, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu appeared to confirm that his country is purposely starving Gaza, saying that 'there is no nation that feeds its enemies.'
'The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,' Eliyahu said in a radio interview, according to The Times of Israel.
According to Gaza's health authorities, at least 127 Palestinians have died of malnutrition in the enclave, including five on Saturday.
On Thursday, Congressman Wesley Bell – who was backed with millions of dollars from pro-Israel groups last year to defeat former Congresswoman Cori Bush, a leading critic of Israeli policies – spoke out against Israel's actions.
'I've always supported Israel's right to exist and defend itself. That hasn't changed,' Bell said in a social media post.
'But supporting this government's actions – allowing children to starve and firing on civilians seeking food – is something I can't stand by. This isn't self-defense. It must stop.'
Congresswoman Summer Lee also said on Friday that Israel is blocking humanitarian assistance to Gaza while shooting at aid seekers looking to receive food from GHF sites.
'People are collapsing in the streets from extreme starvation. Horrors upon horrors,' Lee said in a social media post. 'The US must stop funding Israel's manufactured famine and genocide.'
Vague statements
Not all US lawmakers who spoke on the issue were as forceful as Lee when addressing the crisis.
Many failed to point the finger at Israel, while others prefaced their mild criticism of the US ally with customary condemnation of Hamas.
Several congressmembers reiterated the Israeli lie that Hamas steals UN humanitarian aid – a claim that has been denied by UN agencies and aid groups on the ground, and for which the Israeli military officials acknowledge they have no evidence.
Congresswoman Grace Meng said in a statement that 'as a mother', her heart breaks to see children in Gaza starve, but she proceeded to repeat pro-Israel talking points about the humanitarian situation.
'It is important to recognize that Israel has facilitated the entry of over 1.8 million tons and over 96,000 trucks into Gaza, while Hamas continues to hold hostages, extort the aid system, and refuse ceasefire deals to stay in power and prolong the war,' Meng said in a statement.
My full statement on the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for peace in Gaza👇 pic.twitter.com/dnNAR0DGgc
— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) July 25, 2025
Throughout more than 22 months of war, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza – but far below the needs of the population. And since March, Israel has tightened its blockade on the territory, making the deadly GHF sites nearly the only source of food for Palestinians.
Hamas also denies rejecting ceasefire deals. Instead, the group says it is seeking a permanent end to the war, while several Israeli officials have said that Israel will proceed with its military campaign in Gaza even if a short-term truce is reached.
Congressman Adam Smith called on Israel to take the 'steps necessary to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza, but he focused his criticism on Hamas, echoing unfounded Israeli arguments about the group blocking ceasefire deals and stealing the aid.
'I believe we can both continue to support Israel in their effort to defend themselves against Hamas, Iran and others in the region who continue in their efforts to attack and destroy Israel, and work immediately to relieve the suffering of the people in Gaza,' Smith said in a statement.
Similarly, Senator Cory Booker released a 172-word statement on the starvation crisis in Gaza that mentioned the word 'Israel' only once – in calling for a strategy to 'strengthen Israel's security.'
'It is our collective moral duty to ensure that humanitarian relief reaches those who need it most urgently,' Booker said in a statement.
Criticising Trump
At the same time, some Democrats invoked the crisis to rebuke Trump – their political rival – without denouncing Israel.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries set the tone for that approach with a statement late on Friday that focused on Trump but failed to explicitly criticise Israel.
'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable,' Jeffries said. 'The Trump administration has the ability to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. They must act now.'
Statement on the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/SFPn3f8H89
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) July 26, 2025
For his part, Congressman Tim Kennedy underscored that Trump has failed to deliver his promise of ending the war on Gaza.
'His strategic and moral failure has led to deteriorating conditions, with new reports and images of mass starvation of Palestinians,' Kennedy said in a statement.
Trump's Republican Party has been largely silent about the worsening hunger in Gaza.
But Congressman Randy Fine – a close ally of the US president – appeared to at once endorse Israel's starvation campaign in Gaza while dismissing it as 'Muslim terror propaganda'.
'Release the hostages,' he wrote in a social media post earlier this week. 'Until then, starve away.'
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