WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement in response to the end of the short-term ceasefire and resumption of bombing in Gaza.
“The resumption of bombing is having immediate and devastating impacts on the civilian population in south Gaza: People who were ordered to evacuate from the north to the south are now under fire. An estimated 193 civilians, including children, have already been killed. There are no safe places for the 1.8 million civilians displaced in south Gaza today. No humanitarian aid trucks entered from Egypt on Friday. The medical system in the Gaza Strip is decimated and infectious disease is surging.
“Resuming the bombing will not only cause the deaths of thousands more innocent people but it will make a long-term diplomatic resolution even harder to achieve. As difficult as it may be to target ruthless terrorists like Hamas, Israel has an obligation to spare civilian life and focus its efforts on Hamas. The enemy of Israel and the Palestinians is Hamas, not the Palestinian people.”
On Tuesday, November 28th, Sen. Welch called for an indefinite ceasefire, to stop the bombing, prevent further loss of civilian life, extend access to humanitarian relief to those who have been displaced, and continue negotiations to secure hostages. Read his full statement on the need for a ceasefire and a strong recommitment to two-state solution.
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