Jeffries hammers Trump on Gaza, calls for increased aid
'During the first six months of Donald Trump's time in office, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, hostages are still being held by Hamas despite the President's promise they would be released and the pre-existing ceasefire the administration inherited has been breached,' Jeffries said in a statement on Friday. 'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable.'
'The Trump administration has the ability to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. They must act now,' he added.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday that the U.S. will step away from peace negotiations in the region and is now considering alternative ways to free the hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel.
'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said in a statement. 'It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.'
The Hill has reached out to the White House spokesperson for comment.
Dozens of aid groups have warned that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of starvation, with one in five children being malnourished in Gaza City, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while waiting in food lines, according to the UN.
Israel has argued that Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist group, 'operates every day to create a perception of crisis.'
U.S. allies, including Australia, the United Kingdom and France, have similarly sounded the alarm over humanitarian conditions in the strip and have called for more aid.
The House Democratic leader also reupped his calls for a two-state solution in the nearly two-year conflict.
'It is imperative that humanitarian aid be surged into Gaza immediately, the remaining Israeli hostages be released and the ceasefire negotiated by the Biden administration restored. We need a just and lasting peace,' Jeffries said in his statement.
'Ultimately, that will only occur through a two-state solution that facilitates a safe and secure Israel living side by side with a Palestinian state that provides dignity, self-determination and prosperity for its people,' the New York Democrat added.
To help out the Palestinians, Israel is allowing Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to air-drop aid packages into Gaza.
The 2023 terrorist attack left some 1,200 Israeli's dead and roughly 250 hostages were taken captive. Nearly two years later, the Israeli military has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to local health affiliates. That number does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
Lutnick says tariffs set in place Aug 1: ‘No extensions. No more grace periods.'
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday that President Trump would not grant any further extensions to countries wishing to negotiate trade deals ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set,' Lutnick said in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'They'll go into place, customs will start collecting the money, and off we go,' Lutnick continued. Lutnick added, however, that the president would be open to continuing to negotiate even once the tariffs are in place. 'Obviously after Aug. 1, people can still talk to President Trump,' Lutnick said. 'I mean, he's always willing to listen.' The president will also continue to talk to other countries before the Aug. 1 deadline, Lutnick added. 'Whether they can make him happy is another question,' Lutnick said. 'But the president's definitely willing to negotiate and talk to the big economies for sure.' The interview came shortly before Trump announced a trade deal with the European Union, setting tariffs at 15 percent for European goods, including automobiles. The EU agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S. as part of the deal, Trump announced on Sunday, and to invest in the U.S. $600 billion more than the current investments for other goods. The agreement is lower than the 30 percent tariff Trump had threatened to impose on the EU, which was set to take effect on Aug. 1, and avoids a trade war with the U.S.'s largest trading partner. Trump earlier this month posted letters to social media sent to more than a dozen countries vowing to impose steep tariffs on their imports starting Aug. 1. An initial round of tariffs unveiled in April were paused for 90 days to allow time for negotiations, and the president then pushed the deadline for the tariffs to take effect back by another couple weeks — to Aug. 1.
Politico
2 minutes ago
- Politico
Lindsey Graham sees Israel taking Gaza by force to wrap up war
Graham's comments come as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached crisis levels. Roughly a quarter of the exclave's population is facing famine-like conditions, a U.N. World Food Programme official said last Monday. Democrats, international partners and even podcaster and comedian Theo Von are imploring both the U.S. and Israel to substantially increase the flow of aid into Gaza. Israel's military on Sunday paused fighting in three major population centers inside Gaza to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid. Airdrops of aid have also resumed in the area. 'Israel is going to work with the U.N., the World Food Programme, to get some food into these people, who need it,' Graham told Welker. But even against that backdrop, the likelihood of a negotiated peace appears murky. The White House exited diplomatic talks with Hamas last week, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff concluding that the U.S.-designated terrorist group 'does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.' 'I think they want to die,' Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday. Israel occupied Gaza, which had been an Egyptian territory, in the 6-Day War of 1967, and it had retained forces there until June 2005; since then it has periodically sent forces into the territory in response to incursions from Hamas or to prevent them. Graham said he agreed with the president that talks with the militant group Hamas were futile. 'I think President Trump has come to believe, and I've certainly come to believe, there's no way you're going to negotiate an end of this war with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization who is chartered to destroy the state of Israel,' he told Welker. 'They're religious Nazis.'
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Big Take: Tariffs Risk $2 Trillion Hit to Global GDP
For months, the impact of President Trump's aggressive trade policy has largely felt theoretical. But with an Aug. 1 tariff extension on the horizon and a consequential week ahead for the president's broader economic agenda, the cracks are beginning to show. On today's Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior economic writer Shawn Donnan joins David Gura to break down the tariff fallout hiding in plain sight, and which sectors and countries are being hit the hardest.
