REP LIEU STATEMENT ON HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN GAZA
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement on humanitarian needs in Gaza.
“On October 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and slaughtered Israelis, Americans, and citizens of other nations. Hamas intentionally tortured civilians, murdered babies and executed the elderly. Hamas is a genocidal, homicidal, religiously fanatical terrorist organization. Israel has the absolute right to dismantle Hamas. I continue to mourn with Israelis and Americans who lost loved ones, and I desperately hope for the safe return of those still being held hostage by Hamas. I mourn the loss of life of Palestinian civilians in this conflict.
"There is no rationalization or justification for the barbaric atrocities committed by Hamas. Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorists and protect its citizens from further horrors. And, while doing so, Israel has the responsibility to prevent the killing of innocents and mitigate the worsening of humanitarian conditions for Palestinian civilians caught in the middle of the conflict.
"I applaud the Biden Administration for announcing humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and I support the United States’ push to ensure that civilians in Gaza continue to receive access to food, water and medicine. I co-authored a letter requesting the Biden Administration to help ensure humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. Even in times of conflict, Democratic societies like Israel and the United States must uphold the humanitarian principles that make us the moral leaders of the free world. Organizations like Hamas foment terror by committing gruesome acts of violence against innocent people. They don’t ascribe to any international conventions of morality and decency.
"I agree with President Biden that Israel should follow the law of armed conflict. Israel can demonstrate its strength as the only Democracy in the Middle East through a lawful response that draws a distinct contrast between it and ruthless terrorists.”
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