The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging all Americans to call on Congress to demand that the Israeli government immediately stop blocking the entry of winter shelters and humanitarian aid into Gaza, as children freeze to death amid worsening winter conditions and Israel’s blockade of aid.
TAKE ACTION HERE
Saeed Abdeen, a premature Palestinian infant, became the fourth child in just over one week to die after freezing in a seaside tent camp where his displaced family was sheltering as temperatures plunged. Medical sources in Gaza confirmed that Saeed died from severe hypothermia, a death that aid groups say was entirely preventable.
“This baby did not die because of the weather—he died because of deliberate policies that deny people shelter, warmth, and basic human dignity,” said Robert S. McCaw, CAIR’s Government Affairs Department Director. “Children freezing to death while lifesaving aid sits just miles away is a moral outrage. President Trump and Congress must act immediately to demand the entry of winterized shelters, caravans, and humanitarian aid into Gaza and ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to enable policies that result in the deaths of innocent children.”
As heavy rains and freezing temperatures batter Gaza, displaced families living in uninsulated tents are facing flooding, sewage overflow, and deadly nighttime cold. Nearly two million people, almost Gaza’s entire population, have been forcibly displaced and are crowded into camps without adequate drainage, heating, or sanitation.
SEE: A winter storm chills Gaza and floods tent camps, exposing aid failures
Aid groups report that Israel continues to block or severely restrict humanitarian aid, including winterized shelters and caravans, leaving shelter supplies for more than 1.3 million people stockpiled just across the border while families freeze. In response, Palestinian journalist Wadeaa has launched a global campaign calling for 100 million voices to pressure governments to allow humanitarian aid caravans into Gaza.
The United States is enabling this humanitarian catastrophe. Despite the ongoing suffering, the U.S. government continues to provide millions of dollars in military assistance to Israel, including funding authorized through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
SEE: NDAA’s “Israel First” Spending Misuses Taxpayer Dollars and Funds Genocide
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com