1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am writing with profound concern regarding Israel’s deliberate targeting of food supplies and kitchens in Gaza, further exacerbating the manufactured humanitarian catastrophe and famine. Israel’s recent bombing of a food distribution point in Nuseirat, Gaza, killed five people, including four children. This attack is part of a larger, horrifying pattern in which food kitchens, warehouses, and schools distributing aid are routinely destroyed by Israel. On November 12th, Israeli forces burned Mahdia al-Shawa School in Beit Hanoun after aid deliveries to the area, displacing thousands under the threat of further bombardment.  Mahmoud Almadhoun, co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen, was recently assassinated in a targeted drone strike. His organisation had been feeding over 3,000 people daily amidst the ongoing genocide. The targeting of humanitarians continues with Israel’s killing of three World Central Kitchen workers in Khan Younis, and a Save the Children staff member. The deliberate starvation of Gaza’s population is undeniable, as every major humanitarian organisation affirms. Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has explicitly acknowledged these actions as ethnic cleansing, stating,“There’s no Beit Lahia. There’s no Beit Hanoun… they’re cleaning the area of Arabs.” International observers, including the United Nations, have confirmed that these actions constitute genocide under international law. These atrocities demand immediate action. Words of condemnation are not enough and never have been. I urge you to take decisive measures to enforce accountability and end these violent human rights abuses. Specifically, I call on you to sanction Israel to enforce a ceasefire and hold its leadership accountable for violating international law. Sanctions have proven effective in halting egregious human rights abuses in other contexts; they must be applied here. This includes a ban on weapons and military equipment sales and licenses and a two-way trade embargo.We must also officially recognise the state of Palestine to ensure their rights are recognised. There is no time to hesitate. Act now.