The crisis in Gaza has reached a boiling point. May 2 marks two months since the Israeli government reinstated a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the flow of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. The human toll is staggering. With more than two million people trapped and starving, Gaza is on the brink of a catastrophic famine that could claim tens of thousands of lives.
Now, families are rationing scraps of food, drinking contaminated water, and watching their children go to bed hungry and dehydrated. Hospitals are barely functioning. A staggering 65,000 children are facing acute malnutrition. In the simplest terms: Palestinian civilians, and Israeli hostages, will die because of this siege and the obstruction of aid.
This is a completely man-made problem that is entirely preventable.
This is a completely man-made problem that is entirely preventable. The United States cannot turn a blind eye to this unfolding catastrophe. Congress must act now to press for the immediate reopening of Gaza’s borders to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in desperate need.
According to the World Food Programme and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), their food stocks in Gaza are now fully depleted, and aid warehouses sit empty. More than 116,000 tons of food assistance remain stuck at border crossings, with thousands of trucks awaiting clearance. These restrictions also put the remaining Israeli hostages at greater risk as they too face starvation under the siege.
Over the past 19 months, Gaza has endured unprecedented levels of violence, displacement, and destruction. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 17,000 children. An estimated 1.9 million people, or nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, have been forced from their homes.
The brief six-week pause in hostilities brokered earlier this year showed what is possible. It reunited hostages with their families and allowed aid organizations to resume life-saving work, including food and fuel distribution, medical services, and infrastructure repairs. Tragically, that progress has been erased by renewed fighting and renewed access restrictions.
Some have cited fears that Hamas will divert humanitarian aid from warehouses to feed their fighters as a reason to block all aid deliveries. But nothing justifies this collective punishment of civilians. These claims are not supported by credible evidence of systemic abuse.
The United Nations and its partners operate under strict monitoring procedures and have proven their ability to deliver aid directly to civilians in conflict. Cutting off food, water, and medicine to the entire population because the de facto authority in Gaza is Hamas is a clear violation of U.S. and international law.
Moreover, Israeli authorities have unveiled a plan to take full control of humanitarian operations in Gaza, directly violating fundamental humanitarian principles.
This move threatens the integrity of humanitarian work, endangers aid staff – especially Palestinians – marginalizes local organizations, and erodes accountability. Aid would be limited to tightly controlled distribution sites, falling woefully short of what’s needed to address the scope of suffering.
The United Nations has warned that conditions in Gaza are now worse than at any point in the conflict. As Jonathan Whittall, the local Head of Office for the UN humanitarian coordination wing, said: “Aid is being weaponized through its denial. Today, people are not surviving Gaza. Those who aren’t being killed by bombs and bullets are slowly dying.”
“Aid is being weaponized through its denial. Today, people are not surviving Gaza. Those who aren’t being killed by bombs and bullets are slowly dying.”
Upholding international law means protecting all civilians – both Palestinians trapped under siege and Israeli hostages whose lives depend on food and medicine getting through. Congress and the Trump administration must use every diplomatic and political tool available to demand the immediate and full reopening of Gaza’s borders to allow aid to flow without obstruction.
Policymakers must also push for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the protection of aid workers, and be prepared to use meaningful U.S. leverage, including halting the transfer of offensive weapons, to ensure that happens swiftly.
Failing to act now will only deepen this humanitarian and moral disaster and further damage America’s and Israel’s credibility on the world stage. The lives of innocent Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages are at stake. Humanity is at stake. There is no time to lose. The blockade must end now.
