The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today welcomed the decision by California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 244 (S. Res. 244), which calls for an urgent and durable end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
On Tuesday, May 13, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced S. Res. 244, which calls on the Trump administration to use all diplomatic tools available to end Israel’s blockade on food and aid, secure the release of hostages, and pursue a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution has been co-sponsored by 30 senators, including Padilla and Schiff.
International human rights organizations, including B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch, have reported that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. The Israeli government has obstructed the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza for more than 75 days. As few as five aid trucks have entered Gaza this week to serve a population of 2.2 million people. The United Nations recently warned that 14,000 babies in Gaza are at risk of death in the next 48 hours due to forced starvation if aid is not immediately delivered.
In a statement, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
“We welcome Senators Padilla and Schiff’s support for S. Res. 244, recognizing the catastrophic and preventable humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This resolution is a crucial step toward ending Israel’s blockade and allowing lifesaving aid to reach millions of Palestinians, many of whom are facing mass starvation and acute malnutrition due to Israel’s forced starvation.
“We strongly urge both senators to take the next step and adopt a principled stance against U.S. complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza by committing to withhold future U.S. military aid to Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid and target civilians in violation of U.S. and international law.”
As of May 2025, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, including over 17,000 children and infants. Human rights groups have warned that Israeli authorities are preparing to forcibly displace Gaza’s population into so-called “humanitarian islands” while rendering vast areas of Gaza permanently uninhabitable—acts that amount to ethnic cleansing and genocide under international law.
Israel’s Democratic Party leader, and retired general, Yair Golan, recently commented that the Israeli government risks becoming an “outcast among nations” due to its genocidal actions in Gaza. He also added that “a sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby, and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population.”
CAIR-CA continues to call on all elected officials to support an immediate ceasefire, the full delivery of humanitarian aid, and an end to U.S. military funding and arms transfers to Israel.
CAIR-CA is a chapter of CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com