Van Hollen, Merkley Release Report Detailing Findings on Humanitarian Situation in Gaza, Following Recent CODEL to Gaza Border, Israel, West Bank, Jordan, Egypt

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) released a report they have compiled detailing their findings on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, following their recent CODEL to the Gaza border, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, and Egypt. The Senators returned last Tuesday from the region where they saw firsthand the challenges facing humanitarian aid efforts into Gaza and pressed for an immediate ceasefire and the return of all hostages. During their visit, the Senators witnessed the distribution of humanitarian aid, including at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings into Gaza and around the Jordan aid corridor. In their report, the Senators put forward their conclusion that the Netanyahu government is implementing a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.

The full report is available here. Footage of the Senators' press conference on the release of the report is available here.

"It's clear that the Netanyahu government has gone far beyond targeting Hamas and is instead imposing collective punishment on all the people of Gaza. In this report, we detail key findings from our trip that support that conclusion and demonstrate that the Netanyahu government is now implementing a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians and is using hunger as a weapon of war. We hope this report will draw greater attention to these facts both here and around the world. We will do everything in our power to end America's ongoing complicity in this humanitarian disaster. The world must unite to stop it," said Senator Van Hollen.

"The goals of the Netanyahu government are clear: to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians through a campaign of destruction and deprivation," said Senator Merkley. "Our report details what we saw during our recent trip to the region, including the destruction of Rafah that has reduced the city to rubble, and what we heard from experts in the field about how the Netanyahu government is systematically depriving Palestinians of the essentials needed to live - food, shelter, medicine, and water. It's time for U.S. complicity in these atrocities to end."

During their visit to Israel, the Senators met with hostage families at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and visited Kfar Aza, an Israeli kibbutz near the border with Gaza that they had previously visited in the summer of 2023 and that later became the site of one of the worst massacres on October 7^th. In the West Bank, the Senators visited communities where they discussed rising violence by extremist settlers, including meeting with American citizens whose family members have been killed and members of the Christian community of Taybeh, which was recently attacked by violent settlers. Throughout the trip, the Senators also spoke with key government officials, international humanitarian aid organizations, U.S. personnel, civil society organizations, and more.

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