3rd Thursday Action Alert: Call on Congress to ensure sufficient aid to Palestinians in Gaza and beyond
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Israel began to demolish the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jerusalem. This aggressive action is one more in a concerted effort to eliminate the agency that has provides essential education, healthcare, emergency relief, and employment for Palestinian refugees – including in Gaza – throughout a 78-year history of displacement. Israel, with US support, has attempted to dismantle UNRWA and by doing so, to erase the issue of Palestinian refugees, of whom there are approximately 6 million registered. The Biden Administration suspended funding for UNRWA in 2024, and the Trump Administration has not restored it.
In Gaza, 1.6 million Palestinians, more than three-quarters of the population there, are suffering acute food insecurity, and the hundreds of thousands of people living in tents have faced an especially harsh winter season, with high winds and heavy rains. Children have frozen to death, and promised aid has been far from sufficient, despite the October ceasefire agreement. To compound the problem of aid access and delivery, earlier this month, Israel announced that it would suspend 37 aid organizations from working in Gaza.
With the US announcement of the beginning of Phase II of the Gaza ceasefire, and the announcement of the broader US-led “Board of Peace,” Palestinians are not included in this implementation. They have denounced the plan, experiencing a situation of continuing war. Since the beginning of the ceasefire on Oct. 10, 2025, at least 450 Palestinians have been killed and 1200 wounded by Israel. Beyond that, the Palestinian right to self-determination denied, execution of the plan leaves roles undefined.
In the immediate term, the basic health and humanitarian needs of the Palestinians in Gaza is urgent. Call on your Senators and Congressional representative to demand that the US:
- Hold Israel accountable for its destruction of UNRWA’s headquarters in Jerusalem;
- Restore full funding for UNRWA
- Pressure Israel to permit full and unfettered access and delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, including by the 37 agencies Israel has threatened to suspend.
Sample letter:
Dear Senator/Representative,
Since the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza last October, at least 450 Palestinians and have been killed and 1200 wounded in Gaza. There is urgency in ending the devastation of Palestinian life in Gaza and the West Bank, with a commitment to the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people.
In the meantime, food, medical, and other humanitarian aid is not reaching the population in Gaza in anywhere near the quantity that is needed to address the dire needs of the people. 1.6 million Palestinians in Gaza, more than three-quarters of the population there, are suffering acute food insecurity, and the hundreds of thousands of people living in tents have faced an especially harsh winter season, with high winds and heavy rains. Children are literally freezing to death.
To compound the problem of aid access and delivery, earlier this month, Israel announced that it would suspend 37 aid organizations from working in Gaza, and just this week, Israel began to demolish the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jerusalem. UNRWA provides essential education, healthcare, emergency relief, and employment for Palestinian refugees.
I write to urge you to do what is necessary to hold Israel accountable for its destruction of UNRWA’s headquarters in Jerusalem; to support legislation to restore full funding for UNRWA; and to pressure Israel to permit full and unfettered access and delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, including by the 37 agencies Israel has threatened to suspend.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,