Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement regarding the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza:
“The Congressional Black Caucus continues to keep the thousands of innocent civilians who have been caught in the crossfire since the attack on October 7 in our thoughts. Since 2007, Hamas has ruled Gaza unilaterally, using innocent Palestinians as bargaining chips in their reign of terror. We stand firm in our values of protecting innocent lives and working towards our long-term goal of achieving Middle East peace. Now is the time for the United States to lead in charting out a future that respects the lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike.
“The ongoing reports of innocent women, men, and children being killed, and the worsening humanitarian crisis underscores the need for the immediate release of hostages and de-escalation throughout the region to avoid further casualties and burgeoning conflicts in areas beyond Gaza.
“The Congressional Black Caucus will continue our efforts in Congress to secure bipartisan passage and delivery of critical humanitarian aid to the innocent civilians trapped in Gaza who are without ongoing access to food, water, electricity, and other critical resources. Moreover, we join President Biden in calling for a humanitarian pause to allow the delivery of aid to innocent civilians and to allow adequate time for foreign nationals to leave Gaza.
“We also condemn the drastic rise in Islamophobia and Antisemitism that we have seen in recent weeks. Every American regardless of their faith has the right to live their lives in safety and we stand committed to combating hatred and bigotry on all fronts.”
