Warren, Schatz, Senators Launch Investigation into Trump Administration’s Plans for Gaza Aid

Senators concerned that “aid distribution system that would be similar to the deadly sites run by the failed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation… more than 1000 Palestinians were killed near these sites while seeking food.”
“The public deserves a clear understanding of how US troops and diplomats will facilitate the rapid distribution of aid in Gaza and relieve Palestinians of an ongoing hunger crisis.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C.- U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) led Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in launching an investigation into the role of the U.S. military in distributing humanitarian assistance to Gaza following the October ceasefire.
On October 17th, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the opening of a Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Israel as the “main coordination hub for Gaza assistance.” The center is operated by 200 US troops and diplomatic staff. Despite CENTCOM’s inexperience with addressing humanitarian crises of this scale, the CMCC has been touted as a focal point for NGOs, private sector actors, and international security forces to coordinate the delivery of aid.
“While CENTCOM has extensive experience in stabilization and intelligence missions, we are concerned that the addition of this broad humanitarian mandate executed by military units with little experience in addressing the kind of humanitarian catastrophe facing Gaza, as well as the lack of Palestinian officials involved in the CMCC to help develop plans for the peaceful transition of Gaza, will have significant consequences to the CMCC’s success,”wrote the senators.
Moreover,reportshave emerged that CMCC officials are considering recreating an aid distribution system similar to the deadly model run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). GHF relied on heavily armed contractors to distribute aid at a limited number of sites, where more than 1,000 Palestinians were killed while seeking food. In prior ceasefires the UN operated more than 400 sites.
The Senators called on officials at State and the Department of Defense (DoD) to reject this proposal, writing, “This is the wrong approach: hungry people should not be killed trying to feed their families. To ensure reliable food access in Gaza, the US should avoid building a handful of militarized aid distribution sites.”
Since the October ceasefire, the Netanyahu government has blocked $50 million worth of assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, and hundreds of aid trucks with food have been barred from entry. Over the course of the conflict, reported restrictions have included blocking medical supplies like crutches and sleeping bags because they were green or “had zippers.” The Senators urged US officials to reject the Netanyahu government’s aid restrictions, writing, “(f)or the CMCC to succeed in coordinating aid delivery to Gaza, it is essential to eliminate Israel’s arbitrary restrictions on humanitarian assistance.”
While Trump’s 20-point peace plan emphasizes the necessity of a pathway to Palestinian statehood, there is no reported involvement of Palestinian officials from a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) in the CMCC or other Palestinian technocrats who could offer key insights on future governance questions of Gaza, its transition away from Hamas’ militant governance, or how Palestinians in Gaza should be included in crafting a prosperous future for themselves.
“The CMCC presents an opportunity to ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire and transition to a durable, civilian government in Gaza,”the senators concluded. “But DOD and State Department officials should not replicate the harm of the GHF system and instead facilitate professional humanitarian actors to address the crisis.”
Senator Warren has been a strong advocate for humanitarian assistance to Gaza:
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