Families in Gaza Are Starving. What Can We Do?

The RSF, backed by the UAE, has manufactured civil conflict of destabilization and waged a campaign of starvation, displacement, and sexual violence. All so that Dubai and co. can plunder Sudan for free gold and control trade routes. The number of child starvation victims alone is over 500,000 and millions of people are internally displaced. The UAE is also plays a crucial role in normalizing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Both movements call for a boycott and pressure campaign against the UAE.

What HANNAH said, on top of the UAE’s horrific racism and discrimination. The maids are regularly raped by the household members, tortured, and flights carrying dead bodies of immigrant workers are a common occurrence. You’ll be treated COMPLETELY differently based solely on your skin color. It’s appalling that people have the stomach to eat Dubai chocolate!!! We live in bizarre times of willful, expedient ignorance.

From my understanding, it’s not that we don’t/shouldn’t care about Sudan. However, the United States is allied with Israel and we send our tax dollars to support their military. We feel like we are funding Israel’s ability to starve Gaza in a way that we aren’t in Sudan. Clearly those outside the US have a different perspective.

Cindy — if you see this, can you post links to the fundraisers for these two families? I am sure some people here would like to help. Is there any kind of online post or resource that you can link related to these two friends?

Jamila, I looked it up and here is the gofundme for Amjad https://www.gofundme.com/f/Amged-from-Gaza-desperately-need-your-help

Yes to all of this, Omaya. Lots of love and appreciation to you.

This exactly. Thank you.

Thank you for speaking up for Gaza and thank you for your kindness. My children send you love and prayers. 🥹🥹🥹❤❤🫂

Thank you for sharing, I have donated

I have donated, and will keep checking back. It’s a drop in the bucket.

Thank you for saying this Ava. I totally agree. Many of the comments are horrifying. Just love those comments where “ people shouldn’t say what about Hamas …Hamas isn’t an issue…or Israel is purposely starving Gazan children.” Or that no one talks about the 50 hostages, with 20 still who are hopefully alive, starving, being denied food by the UN and the Red Cross, being kept in cages, being physically and emotionally abused, denied medical care. These hostages who are still alive are sons, some are fathers with young children. If they and the thirty murdered hostages were released and Hamas laid down their arms so they would not attack innocent people again, the war would end.

As a Jew, I’m grateful for these posts.

Hello Ava, I just had my post blocked for agreeing with you and thanking you for your comment.

You didn’t, we just take a minute to moderate

Ali, for what it’s worth, and probably not much as it sounds like you have made up your mind – the war would not end with the release of the hostages – Netanyahu and his government want the land. This is purposeful starvation plain and simple.

Thank you to Ava and Ali, and a few other commenters who have written in a similar spirit, for your comments. As a Jewish person many of these comments horrify me. In the spirit of holding both, why is it not flood Gaza with aid AND release the hostages full-stop? Propaganda and curated social media has been fuelling both sides. Vilifying Israel and USA, with inadequate mention of Hamas and its supporters, is not helpful.

As another Jewish woman who commented below, I greatly appreciate seeing this support. Thank you all!

Yes to all of this, and thank you Ava for saying it. So many Jews feel community-less right now because of this. And seeing many of these comments on this post, it’s hard to feel safe even in the COJ community. This binary us vs. them, either/or, left/right logic is dangerous and harmful and is making many of us and our families unsafe. We MUST hold space for all truths to coexist.

inadequate mention of Hamas and its supporters, what would substantially change your outlook or your behavior if that shibboleth were satisfied to your satisfaction? how is it that in almost two years, no one has said it enough for you?

I believe everyone in these comments wants the hostages released. But I also think many of us feel the relentless call for them to be equally prioritized against mounting Gazan suffering feels as those lives are more privileged: no matter how many children die per hostage, we still are asked to “equally” acknowledge the pain, when it no longer feels like that pain is remotely equal, and treating it as such has gotten us to that point. A comment below said it perfectly for me: “There is no justification for Oct 7. On the other side of the coin, Oct 7 is not justification for a genocide.” Repeatedly saying that if only Hamas would release the hostages, this all would end, feels like holding the hostages justifies any atrocity. To those who would say, “We’re not saying everything is justified,” then where is the line, and why does the current level of devastation not yet hit that line for you? I ask this sincerely, though obviously I disagree in that I feel we hit that line long, long ago. I know some folks will react to the word “genocide” above. I personally feel that the degree of intent is at this point irrelevant – a people are dying, whether or not it is “intended” or that level of death is just considered permissible collateral damage. However, even to litigate intent, I find it hard to dismiss the formal statements multiple right-wing Israeli government officials have publicly and proudly made, that they hope to clear Gaza of Palestinians. Why are those irrelevant to the case at hand? I cannot reconcile the cognitive dissonance I experience when hearing friends both loudly declare they are no fans of Netanyahu and the right but simultaneously will admit no criticism of a government that is heavily controlled, at minimum, by those forces.

Thank you for this thread. It is essential never to give Hamas a free pass for this horrible war and all of the suffering in this reason. Joanna’s post does just that by failing to even mention Hamas. Joanna, I have urged you to read Thomas Friedman. I have written you two emails that went unanswered. He does a much better job addressing the deep, deep complexities of this situation. You can criticize Netanyahu but you must necessarily criticize Hamas too. We all should be calling for an end to this starvation but you do it in a way that gives Hamas a free pass and leaves room for some very disturbing comments. As I’ve said before, I urge you to read Thomas Friedman. His latest piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/opinion/gaza-netanyahu-trump-israel-starvation.html?searchResultPosition=5

if you’re spending more time demanding that people continue to condemn hamas after two years of people condemning hamas than you are using your voice to put a stop to this, you’re profoundly self-centered and self-focused. the US government is not arming hamas.

Ali, no. According to The Times of Israel, Hamas offered the release of all hostages on Oct 9th and 10th on the condition that the IDF would not enter the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu refused. Israel also has many Palestinians kept as hostages in their prisons, men, women and children who have not been charged, or given a trial. They must be released as well.

As a Jewish person, I echo the other Jewish people in this thread in stating that there is NO justification on the planet for genocide, and no one should understand that better than our people. Continuing to say “but what about Hamas” after over 60 thousand people have been murdered (conservatively) and over a hundred thousand injured–mainly children and noncombatants–reads as deeply, incurably tone deaf. People are being gunned down as they try to feed their starving families, after having been displaced by a nearly two year campaign to raze their homeland to the ground with U.S.-made bombs. The threat to Jewish life is simply not on this scale, at all. It is reasonable to be concerned about anti-Semitism and to be in solidarity with our people, but to pretend this is a “war” or that there are two equal sides at play is, in 2025, deliberately delusional. Wanting to halt the famine and genocide that the U.S. is complicit in does not mean that anyone here does not want freedom for the remaining hostages–but why would you frame this question as either/or? What about starving children is doing anything to help a single hostage? What about gunning down people seeking aid is doing anything but cementing support for Hamas in a place where no one is standing for Gazans against genocide? As a proud Jewish woman who takes seriously the lessons of the Holocaust and the much-ignored phrase “never again” (not just for our people but for any people), I am truly saddened by comments such as those above. I hope you find your way back to the true tenets of our culture and can look with empathy at the catastrophic loss of human life we are confronting every day.

Thank you Ava, I agree. I want food aid into Gaza, I don’t want anyone to starve. But that anyone also always must include the hostages. I don’t understand how any person and parent can watch the starvation and torture of the hostages AND the Palestinian people. I would rather donate to the World Central Kitchen then UNRWA whose staff participated in October 7th! I am proud of Cup of Jo for taking a stand but as a woman led organization that stand should also have included louder condemnation of the atrocities of October 7th, the hideous sexual violence and the ongoing torture and starvation of those stolen from a music festival. We can and should have space for both.

How many Palestinian children did Israel kill in the first 9 months of 2023? From January 1 to October 1, 2023? Is there another country that the US considers to be democratic or an ally that has killed that many children of another country? What is the youngest age of a Palestinian being held (indefinitely with no rights) by Israel on Oct 1, 2023? Of course, Hamas is wrong and beyond horrific. And what happened on Oct 7,2023 is beyond any words and horrible. But when will Israel and those that support it own up to the immoral things that Israel did before and after October 7, 2023? I don’t want my tax dollars to support killing children. And I am not sure I would want the USA to continue if it required killing children from Canada or Mexico. So, I will wait here for you to tell me how many Palestinian children were killed by Israel in the first 9 months of 2023? And what was the youngest age of a Palestinian child held on Oct 1, 2023?

Can you share something we can all copy/paste to these accounts?

Thank you!

THIS IS AMAZING

Thank you so much for sharing! My Senators never ever answer their phones, and leaving a voicemail or filling out their online contact form feels so insufficient.

Amazed to hear this! Massive Attack was my favorite in their 90’s heyday!

Yes, the ‘what about Hamas’ comments are just so frustrating and I think it helps to understand that the people saying that may not ever be able to face what Israel has done to Palestinians since 1948. Because what is happening now did not start on October 7, it started when land was forcibly seized and occupied and Palestinians were forced from their own lands en masse. As a Canadian Jew, I have spent years educating myself, reading the testimonials of Palestinians, but also former IDF soldiers who were appalled at the brutal repression and dehumanization of the Palestinian people. So what about Hamas and what about the (Israeli) hostages just doesn’t even begin to explain or encapsulate what is happening now. It is truly a tragedy that I mourn, that Israel has completely co-opted Jewishness. My Jewish identity is thus an anti-Zionist identity.

Eman – I am thinking of you and everyone in Gaza. So many of us are watching, bearing witness and trying to bring an end to this genocide and I’m sorry it hasn’t been enough, but many of us will keep fighting for you and your home.

Dear Emily, Your words mean so much to me. Thank you for thinking of us and for continuing to raise your voice for Gaza. It’s true — what’s happening here is not a natural disaster. It’s man-made, intentional, and brutal. Hunger is being used as a weapon, and we are left to suffer for simply existing in our land. Your solidarity gives us hope. Please keep speaking out — it matters more than you know. If anyone would like to help me care for my four children, you can donate here: 💙 https://chuffed.org/project/141073-help-iman-care-for-her-four-children-in-gaza Or contact me directly via WhatsApp: 📱 +970 595 903 910 With all my heart, Iman 💔

I agree with this note about wording – in glad to see this post, but would like a more accurate headline. Gaza is being starved by Israel. I’m also not sure why the phrase, “in large part,” is used to describe the role of Israel’s illegal blockade in the starvation – the occupation, siege, and blockade are the entire cause.

I hear you — the thinking behind the title was that if it was very direct, people may turn away from the post — I wanted to make sure the largest amount of people would read the post and potentially have their minds changed or their actions spurred — so that’s why I went that way. but I agree, the families in gaza are being systematically starved and killed en masse, and it’s absolutely horrifying.

thank you so much! there was a strategy behind the title here — I explained it in response to some other comments — but 100% agree with you that the people are being starved. thank you so much, Emily.

Israel controls all the borders and has made it impossible for people to leave. It has been nearly impossible to leave for decades, even to seek medical care.

palestinians belong in palestine. when we leave, we’re never allowed back. which is exactly what israel wants.

It’s not a war with two armies fighting, and no, nobody can leave Gaza – the entire population is trapped. Israel has had Gaza under siege for 18 years, and under military occupation for many decades. If “relocation” is offered by the occupier, it will be a trap, to ethnically cleanse Gaza.

Trudy, when it was at all possible, evacuation cost thousands per person and you would be put on a waitlist with no guarantees. The border crossing at Rafah has since been sieged by Israel. This article from March 2024 explained it well, but the situation has deteriorated vastly since then. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/02/1234439113/palestinians-leave-gaza-egypt-hala

The sad thing is that neighboring countries (mostly Arab states) are not willing to accept the Palestinian people. They have their own political and financial ties to Israel and the United States. They are rewarded for helping Israel so they dare not step outside the lines of that.

I’m an anti-violence Jew from a very long line of anti-violence Jews, including folks who have opposed the formation and operation of the Israeli state since before its inception, through to the present day. AND I do think we need to be talking about Hamas in addition to condemning the Israeli government. Two things can be true. Civilians in both places are trapped by a government that does not represent them, that commits unspeakable violence, that manipulates its imagine on the world stage, and that believes it is beyond reproach. Our way forward certainly involves extracting Hamas from its position of unchecked, violent power. In addition to extracting Israel from its position of unchecked, violent power. I’m a big fan of JVP! I also recommend following Standing Together.

Ruth, they’re not equivalent and we need to stop pretending that they are. They are a terrorist organization. They have killed a fraction of the people Israel has killed. The Netanyahu government has admitted repeatedly that they rejected offers because bringing the hostages home was not the Israeil government’s priority. This is not a case of moral equivalence. The existence of Hamas does not make me less safe as a Jew today. Nor does anything the Israeli government does. Surely you can admit that you’re not any safer, either.

Thank you for saying that, Ruth! Yes both things can be true! We can condemn Hamas for their atrocities AND also be humanitarians to the people in Gaza.

ruth, my government is not sending hamas bombs and rockets that they’re using to kill entire families. insisting that people talk about hamas the way you want them to is a way of denying what israel is doing and stifles conversation. is that your goal?

While I respect Jewish Voices for Peace, a note that do not speak for all (or even many) Jews, and their understanding of what anti-Semitsm is and is not is not widely held by many Jews.

Claire: “nobody* speaks for all Jews. As the old saying goes: two Jews, three opinions! So of course, JVP does not speak for all Jews. Neither does the ADL. Neither does Netanyahu.

“It is critical that we do not foster antisemitism in the process, as this kind of rhetoric sadly does” = I strongly disagree that calling out for the U.S. and Israel to STOP blocking aid, food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza is antisemitic. criticizing a government’s actions is not damning everyone in that country, or everyone who is the same region as people in that country.

I completely agree that criticizing a government’s policies is not inherently antisemitic, and it’s essential to be able to hold any government accountable for its actions. That’s a core part of democracy and advocacy. However, the reality is that criticism of Israel often crosses a line into generalizations that fuel hostility toward Jewish people worldwide. We’ve seen a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents globally, much of it stemming from rhetoric that doesn’t distinguish between the Israeli government and the Jewish community at large. Calling for humanitarian aid to be delivered is not antisemitic. But when the broader narrative paints Israel as uniquely evil or ignores the role that Hamas plays in endangering both Palestinian and Israeli lives, it fosters a one-sided view that too often feeds antisemitic sentiment. That’s the concern being raised, not that all criticism is antisemitic, but that the way it’s framed and repeated in certain spaces can lead to very real harm for Jewish people around the world. We can advocate for aid to reach innocent civilians while still being mindful of how our language impacts vulnerable communities, including Jews who feel increasingly unsafe. The goal should be accountability, not amplification of hatred.

I hear what you’re saying, but the goal of this post is not to step back and explain to people what’s happening in Israel and Gaza overall — it’s to specifically call for a STOP to the blockage of aid by Israel with the support of the US — that’s the goal with this specific post.

I respect that and appreciate the intent of the post. Getting aid to civilians in Gaza is urgent and deeply important. At the same time, the tone of many comments on this post and the hostility toward Israel distract from this focus, especially for your Jewish readers. When criticism ignores the reasons behind Israel’s actions or the threat posed by Hamas, it creates a one-sided narrative that fuels misunderstanding and division. We can call for humanitarian relief, while also recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself and exist as a nation for the Jewish people, and the complexity of the situation.

With all due respect, conflating Judaism and Israel is incredibly dangerous and is what has made Israel — its governing policies, its current genocidal actions — beyond criticism, which is largely why the situation in Gaza has become as dire and as horrific as it is today. No country should be beyond reproach. No action justifies deliberate starvation of people. Withholding of food and aid is not self-defence. Israel does not represent all Jews globally; criticism of Israel is not criticism of all Jewish people. As the partner of a Jewish man, I deeply fear rising antisemitism. And I also fear what happens when images of babies that have been intentionally starved to death are met with responses like yours rather than a human expression of sorrow and a desire to help.

“Articles like this, while well-intentioned, often spark intense negativity toward Israel that too easily spills into antisemitism.” Lisa, I don’t think you’re giving this community of readers enough credit. Or for that matter, the general public. I think that hatred is noisy and gets the attention. But I also think MOST people are decent and can hold space for multiple truths. I hope you can find space in your heart, while juggling such real and valid concerns, that us CoJ readers – and many others – can take in the point of this article without it spilling into antisemitism.

I love how you put it Michelle. And I will add that as a Jew who has been speaking up for Palestinian rights pretty much her whole life, and been in a ton of pro Palestinian environments, I’ve never felt an ounce of anti semitism. Rather, they are some of the kindest and warmest people I have been honoured to spend time with.

This crisis did not begin on October 7th. This crisis began decades ago with the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948. As Arundhati Roy says so well – I do not tell oppressed people how to resist their oppression or who their allies should be.

As a Jewish person who has spent a great deal of time in and deeply loved Israel, I 100% stand by this post and Joanna’s words. Just as I am an American who wholeheartedly supports the withdrawing of international support from our government right now as it’s committing atrocities, so too must we take action against governments that are committing atrocities in Gaza. Palestinians are human beings who lived on that land for as long as Jews have. Just because Jews had “no where else to go” (as an American Jew whose family emigrated before and after the Holocaust, there is some questionable logic here – I think what the underlying message is, Jews had no where to have significant political majority and therefore access to power and leadership, which is very different) is not one iota of an excuse for the murder of innocent civilians and children. Joanna, thank you for this post. I have made a large donation to UNWRA after feeling very hopeless as to what to do that would make my money go as far as possible for the people who need it most.

Criticizing a government for carrying out what groups inside its own country are calling a genocide is not antisemitic. I know that because I can do it and I am Jewish.

Who approved the allocation of Palestine’s land to Israel…..was it Palestine ?

Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate your calm and well-written words. I know that I am not as eloquent. However, I’d like to add that Israel HAS been providing food to Gaza, and Hamas does not distribute it. What other country, when entering a war they did not start, is expected to provide food? Why aren’t any other neighboring countries offering food? The NYTImes has admitted that a photo they printed of a “starving child,” was not, in fact, the truth. I’m so tired of the Israel hatred and the fact that I am terrified to attend Jewish events that are highly publicized, that every synagogue I know hires armed guards. The media has done a great disservice. It’s absolutely sickening. We’re losing sight of the fact that there are still 50 hostages, who were taken from a music festival, still being held in Gaza. All Hamas has to do is release the hostages, and the war would be over. But the only thing Hamas wants is the complete destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. They will never accept a ceasefire. Israel has agreed to several. Israel uses missiles to protect children; Hamas uses children to protect their missiles.

There is no justification for Oct 7. On the other side of the coin, Oct 7 is not justification for a genocide. Just like the taliban committed 9/11, the US should not have started wars in the middle east and killing civilians as collateral damage.

Beth: “However, I’d like to add that Israel HAS been providing food to Gaza, and Hamas does not distribute it. What other country, when entering a war they did not start, is expected to provide food?” Israel has not provided food. They have imposed a siege. Israeli officials have publicly, vocally made that clear. And all countries are in fact expected to abide by the international laws of war, which prohibit starvation of a civilian population. “They will never accept a ceasefire. Israel has agreed to several.” Israel broke the last ceasefire, without provocation. “Israel uses missiles to protect children; Hamas uses children to protect their missiles.” Israel’s campaign has killed approximately 20,000 Gazan children. That is as many children as were killed in Hiroshima on the day of the atomic bomb. Gazan children have been killed sheltering in schools, and lining up for nutritional supplements. Hind Rajab was killed at age 6, in the car with her family members’ dead bodies, after emergency workers were explicitly granted permission to go rescue her. Gazan children deserve to live. They deserve safety. They deserve joy and freedom and play and childhood. Israel is not protecting them, in any way.

Beth, no. Israel is not giving Gazans aid and Hamas is not stealing food. That has all been debunked along with many other lies spewed by Israel. According to the Times of Israel, Hamas offered a release of ALL hostages Oct 9 and 10 on the condition that the IDF would not enter Gaza. Netanyahu refused. He never gave a shit about the hostages. It’s always been about power. https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/ “Israel uses missiles to protect children; Hamas uses children to protect their missiles.” What a smug statement you make while completely ignoring the fact that Israel grooms children from a young age to forcibly join the IDF and jails them if they don’t.

Thank you for this Lauren O! My rep is indeed a co-sponsor, calling to thank him asap.

Appreciate this comment and sensitivity. I hope Gazans will truly receive all the aid and donations made from this post. And in our phone calls to reps, we should also be asking for pressure to be put on Hamas – they have the power to end this war, return the hostages, and ensure that aid is received where its needed in Gaza.

Joanna’s very first paragraph of this post says “Families in Israel pray for the return of hostages and fear rising antisemitism worldwide; families of hostages nearly unanimously call for ceasefire.” Actually, for two years nearly all coverage seems to fixate on the hostages and Hamas’ crimes as if to mask Israel’s war crimes of over 70 years. The mainstream media and politicians bend over backward to make sure Israel does not feel offended for lack of conversation about the hostages. So actually it’s very very important that this post and other recent news stories finally cover the suffering of Palestinians and especially Gazans. Please reflect on why the need for “what about ism” regarding Israeli victims when this post is about Gazan victims.

Leah, I hope so much that the respect and genuine care in my comment comes through. This is a painful subject for all involved. I have learned that there is both no way to talk about this without upsetting someone but also that I care too much to stay quiet. I used to really understand the need to acknowledge both sides’ pain equally, even when I got a lot of shade for doing so (from, frankly, everyone). As the Gazan casualties have mounted, I both am genuinely heartbroken by hostages’ plight but find the need to always acknowledge “both sides”…disproportionate. It feels like a single hostage life is worth more than the tens of Gazan kids who have *already* died per casualty on 10/7. This is disgusting, dehumanizing arithmetic, but I’m being vulnerable with sharing my thoughts. As for mentioning Hamas, I truly believe the *majority* of Americans, including pro-Palestine activists, find Hamas so abhorrent as to be irrelevant to keep pointing fingers at. Not *everyone* feels this way obviously, but the energy I see directed towards dissecting the pro-Hamas bias of some activists just feels…disproportionate. Most of us don’t love Hamas, I think. Most of us feel bad for the hostages. Many of us also feel like focus on the hostages versus Gazan casualties has gotten us to this point, which feels so wildly unacceptable. So that’s why, I suspect, you’re seeing less reference to them in these comments, despite the fact that, as I said, I think most people truly do feel bad for the hostages and think Hamas is awful.

Respectfully, I believe that is gaslighting to focus on the Hamas at this time. At this time we can focus on the starvation of the Palestinian people. Context, historical or not, is irrelevant. Israel is starving Gaza. This is a war crime and must stop. Period. “At the same time..” is just whataboutism and only attempts to detract from the fact that Israel is committing genocide.

I’m going to be an outlier here and say what many people are thinking but not necessarily saying aloud. Hamas are resistance fighters, not terrorists. Literally nobody is coming to Palestine’s aid, defense wise (except for Yemen, Lebanon and Iran). Israel does not allow Palestine to have a military. They have no way to defend themselves. Children get thrown into Israeli prisons for throwing rocks at Israeli tanks. Hamas is borne from the thousands and thousands of orphans created by Israel’s slaughter on the Palestinians for decades. It is important to consider who designated them as a terrorist organization. The UN does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Once upon a time, Nelson Mandela and the Black Panthers were on the terrorist list. Anyone who threatens white supremacy and colonialism is deemed terrorists by white men in suits. People are starting to shift from that bullshit narrative.

they were published — sorry, we sometimes fall behind on comment moderating because of other work. thank you, always, for your comments, Farhana!

Update-I used this form Meg shared below. To easy to talk myself out of. https://afsc.org/action/tell-congress-demand-lifesaving-aid-gaza

I also live in a very liberal area, but still call my reps frequently (even if it’s just to thank them for the actions they’ve taken!). I think it’s important for them to know how their constituents feel. And if I don’t call, they’ll only be hearing from the naysayers! Plus it makes me feel like I’m doing something. Hope you keep calling!

I was told by the person who answered phone at my democratic congresswoman’s office that calling helps them know where to push harder and what issues constituents want to be put at the forefront. They’re dealing with a lot of fires so to speak so our calls do help them direct their power and energy.

Thought of this comment about living in a liberal place when I saw the news that last night, BOTH California senators voted no on Senator Sanders’ bill to block weapons to Israel. Both NY senators and Cory Booker, too. Textbook illustration of “the Palestine exception” to liberal politics.

This helped me! I used the super easy form but added that IF MARJORIE EFFING TAYLOR GREENE is calling out this issue the time is ripe to do what they can to call out and reach across that aisle and help end this horror. So, thank you!

Courage being *contagious*, ugh, sorry.

I should note the template I linked is a generic one, and the text I pasted is for my specific riding. So, if you don’t live in my area, use the text in the linked document, or copy/paste from here: Subject Line: Please Act Now to Help Starving Families in Gaza Hello, My name is [FIRST AND LAST NAME], and I’m a constituent of yours. I’m writing to demand immediate action to address the extremely urgent starvation catastrophe in Gaza. Israel’s deliberate blocking of almost all aid since early March violates international humanitarian law, constituting collective punishment of 2 million Palestinian people. Now Israel is trying to starve, kill, or remove every Palestinian person in Gaza— with the help of arms and ammunition that still flow freely from Canada. I’m urgently asking you, our Member of Parliament, to demand that Israel open ALL border crossings for unrestricted humanitarian aid entry into Gaza now. I also implore you to stop the flow of arms and ammunition out of Canada to Israel, be it by direct route or through our other allies such as the United States. Investigations have been done and there is strong proof that despite denials, this is still happening. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arms-ammunition-shipments-israel-canada-1.7596091 You can be the voice that helps our pleas finally be heard. Canada has always been a world leader in humanitarian efforts. We need to speak up, we need to stop this crisis before more innocent lives are lost. Thank you, [FIRST AND LAST NAME]

Thank you! Took me a minute to do. So appreciate you making it easy via this comment.

thank you for this!!

Thank you so much

Thank you so much Maureen. I am a Canadian and felt helpless in this situation. Your post gave me clear direction and support. Done ✅. Thank you

Thank you for parenting in this way which honours the parents in Palestine living all of our parental nightmares.

I’m also in MT. After leaving dozens of messages for Zinke, Sheehy and Daines at their DC numbers, I tried the local Bozeman number yesterday. A staffer actually picked up! In addition to Gaza let’s blow up their phones with demands to hold town hall meetings. The cowards need to step up and look Montanans in the eye IRL.

I agree Grace, our delegation are deplorable cowards of the first order. Thank you for for harassing them, we all need to.

I love the concept of starting something like this, but I think supporting vetted organizations on the ground that are helping families in Gaza right now is a faster, more efficient way to help. here is one we donate to: https://www.instagram.com/gazasoupkitchen/ thank you so much, cate!

Thank you for this information, Cate. I usually look for larger and more vetted organizations to donate to but in this case I really appreciate the option to provide more direct support.

thank you so much, carol, for calling and continuing to call. xo

Wow, impressive! way to step it up a notch.

Yes to the staffers being people! I called my house rep’s office and spoke to a staff member. My rep is a Democrat but has been an AIPAC-funded, oustpoken ally of Isreal forever. I gave my speech and I could literally hear the staff member’s head nodding with me, she kept saying “Yes.” as I spoke and then she interrupted me halfway through and asked me if she could record my message to play for my rep. So I started over again! I felt like I made a tiny difference in that moment. One more hint – ” I voted for you in your last election, but you will not be getting my vote for reelection if you….etc etc” is an important note to add on these calls.

this second part has been widely dubunked.

You need to get your facts straight. This is not accurate. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/world/middleeast/hamas-un-aid-theft.html

I feel like this poster maybe missed the part about the currently starving children? Literally who cares who started it this is children, folks, I do not understand what is even remotely controversial here.

These are not facts. Every global aid organization confirms it is not Hamas taking the aid. It is very hard to think that the Israel under Netanyahu would behave this way. But that is a fact.

Hamas is not stealing aid, that is false. Please look past the talking points and consider the starving children.

AAM, your comment shows exactly why everyone with a shred of humanity and conscience needs to speak out against the siege of Gaza.

AAM you should look for other news sources because whatever you are reading or watching is inaccurate. And when people want to blame Hamas — many of those living in Gaza do not support Hamas. The last election there was 18 years ago — about half of the population in Gaza wasn’t born or hadn’t even reached school-age yet.

Absolutely yes! What Israel is doing is call genocide, we all now, an there is not excuses . Hamas is The excuse to exterminate all country, Palestine

This post didn’t mention Hamas because the Biden/ Trump have been doing it along with many other presidents, senators, law makers and newspapers that were bought by Israel. You know it’s bad when a NY Times article is shared to show what’s happening in Gaza. The irony!!!

My husband works for the UN. Hamas has NOT stolen food. That is a lie. Israel has blocked it. Period.

Everyone should read this transcript: https://radicaldiscipleship.net/2024/10/14/the-wound-that-is-palestine/ History began in 1948, not October 7.

AAM, thank you for pointing out the complexity of the situation in your first paragraph. This conflict stems from so many complex and horrific histories, and I think the ways towards ceasefire and lasting peace lies in finding a way to respect the many people working towards peace in the region. I know people who only see one side think that they are helping and are right, but I fear it’s going to take a huge shift for everyone to humanize each other before the region can be stable. But I trust we will get there. Sending love and justice to everyone suffering. It is so important for everyone saying what can and cannot be antisemitic or anti-Palestinian checks themselves when a Jew or Palestinian says that it is–there are many different Jews and Palestinians with a diversity of histories and views–I hope we can respect all of them. No one Jew speaks for all Jews–many Jews would have been killed for being Jewish if Israel couldn’t take them in, so for those Jews, it makes sense to me why they consider anti-Zionism anti-Semistism. Im not one of them, but I respect the diversity of views. Love to everyone.

The second part has not been debunked at all. Anything being told by the Gaza Ministry of health is HAMAS! You cannot believe anything that they ( a terro*ist organization)! I also don’t really understand why Israel is responsible for providing aid and food when they are at war! There is no other country that is held responsible in the same way that Israel is forced to. I bet this comment doesn’t even get posted as I have tried to post multiple comments that go against this grain and they don’t seem to get approved. I also haven’t seen any posts on any other actual genocides or starving people!

Israel is blocking global humanitarian aid at the border.

If Hamas is REALLY controlling the aid that Israel is distributing then the IDF would have captured them all since no one can steal food from armed guards in plain sight.

i really don’t understand people who still believe that hamas is intercepting aid. israel captured the freedom flotilla ships (twice) carrying supplies and manned by activists including greta thunberg.