Amid reports that hundreds of Palestinians have died from malnutrition in the besieged Gaza Strip since May, a group of prominent Jewish Democratic lawmakers — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) and Senator Adam Schiff (California) — is spearheading efforts to pressure President Trump’s administration to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and address what they called a humanitarian crisis.

According to a report published online in The Hill, 40 Democratic senators warned in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff that the situation in Gaza is “unsustainable and worsening by the day” and that “hunger and malnutrition are widespread”, leading to starvation deaths — particularly among children.

In addition to Schumer and Schiff, the signatories of the letter included Senators Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), Michael Bennet (Colorado), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Chris Coons (Delaware), Dick Durbin (Illinois), Kirsten Gillibrand (New York) and Chris Murphy (Connecticut).

The senators wrote that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a U.S.-based nonprofit established to distribute food aid in Gaza — “has failed to address the worsening humanitarian crisis and has contributed to an unacceptable rise in civilian deaths around the organization’s sites.”

Recent reports from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to access food supplies from official distribution centers.

The Democratic lawmakers urged the Trump administration to push for a “broad expansion” of humanitarian aid and services throughout Gaza, and to partner with multilateral agencies and experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to handle aid distribution. They also reiterated their position that a permanent end to the war requires dismantling Hamas’ rule in Gaza and ensuring it can no longer pose a serious military threat to Israel.

The group reaffirmed their support for U.S.-led diplomacy with Israeli and Palestinian leaders aimed at achieving the long-term goal of a two-state solution, where “Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in lasting peace, security, dignity and mutual recognition.” They expressed strong opposition to the permanent forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, warning that such actions “violate international humanitarian law” and undermine “any sustainable end to this war that prioritizes the long-term safety and security of both Israelis and Palestinians.”

The senators also voiced their strong support for ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas, as well as the repatriation of the remains of those presumed dead, including Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, so they can be returned to their families and loved ones.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, says the vote shows that the “tide is turning.”

Michigan’s U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters didn’t vote to block weapons for Israel’s Genocide, but 27 senators did

Palestinian rights advocates are hailing the growing number of lawmakers in the United States showing willingness to restrict weapons to Israel over the atrocities in Gaza after a Senate vote on the issue.

The majority of Democrats in the Senate voted late on Wednesday in favor of a resolution to block a weapons sale to Israel in what rights advocates have hailed as a major blow to the bipartisan support that Israel has traditionally enjoyed in Congress.

The measure, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) ultimately failed in a 70-27 vote, but a record number of lawmakers backed it compared to similar bills in the past.

“It was incredibly significant,” said Yasmine Taeb, legislative and political director for the advocacy group MPower Change Action Fund. “We’re seeing a fundamental shift in the Democratic Party on Israel.”

Supporters of Palestinian rights say although the bill to block arms to Israel failed to pass, the vote shows a “shift” on the issue.

All Republican senators voted against the measure, but within the Democratic caucus, the tally was 27-17. The bill aimed to block the transfer of assault rifles to Israel.

Another bill that targeted bomb shipments also failed, in a 73-24 vote, with three senators who backed the first bill defecting.

The vote came amid domestic and international anger at Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, where leading rights groups have accused the Israeli military of carrying out a genocide against Palestinians.

For decades, support for Israel on Capitol Hill seemed unshakable. But restricting the flow of U.S. weapons is steadily becoming a mainstream proposal, especially among Democrats.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed gratitude for the senators who backed the bills, calling the vote a “historic sign of progress.”

“Although last night’s Senate vote should have been 100–0 in favor of these resolutions, the fact that a majority of Senate Democrats voted yes is a historic moment and a sign that sentiments in Congress are gradually catching up to the American people,” CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said in a statement.

Some key Democrats supported Sanders’ bill – well beyond the small group of progressive lawmakers who have been vocally supportive of Palestinian rights for years.

They included Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee; Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee and Amy Klobuchar, a prominent centrist.

Senators Peters and Slotkin

As for Michigan’s two Democratic senators, Gary Peters voted against the resolutions while Elissa Slotkin did not vote at all.

CAIR-MI expressed dismay at Senators Peters and Slotkin for not voting to block weapons being sent to the Israeli military while genocide is taking place against the people of Gaza.

“While we commend the 27 senators who voted to block offensive arms sales to a foreign government that is actively starving and slaughtering men, women and children on a daily basis, we are troubled that Michigan’s two senators failed to uphold international and American law by not joining them in voting in favor of the resolutions,” CAIR-MI sated in a press release.

Under U.S. law, these weapons sales are already illegal. They violate the Foreign Assistance Act, which bars aid to governments committing gross human rights violations; the Arms Export Control Act, which restricts the use of U.S. arms to lawful self-defense and Section 620I, which prohibits U.S. aid to countries that block humanitarian assistance.

“Enough is enough”

Senator Tammy Duckworth, who has been a strong Israel supporter throughout most of her career, also voted in favor of the measure.

“Enough is enough,” Duckworth said in a statement.

She highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israeli-imposed starvation has killed more than 150 people.

“Israel’s unacceptable choice to restrict humanitarian and food aid from entering Gaza – for months – is now causing innocent civilians, including young children, to starve to death,” Duckworth said.

Public opinion polls show that young Americans, especially Democrats, are increasingly opposing Israel’s abuses against Palestinians.

Only 9 percent of respondents under the age of 35 in a recent Gallup survey said they approve of Israel’s military action in Gaza and 6 percent said they had a favorable opinion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sanders said after Wednesday’s vote that the increased support from Democratic lawmakers for restricting arms to Israel shows that the “tide is turning.”

“The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza,” the senator said in a statement.

“The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future.”

AIPAC reacts to the Senate vote

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has spent millions of dollars to help defeat Israel’s critics in Congress, welcomed the defeat of Sanders’ bills, but it said that the vote “highlights the growing attempts to advance anti-Israel policies in Congress.”

“We know our detractors are working to take the battle from the floor of the Senate and the House to the ballot box next year, seeking to elect more candidates who want to undermine the U.S.-Israel alliance,” the group said in an email to supporters.

“With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, we must ensure we have the political strength and resources to help our friends win and help defeat our detractors.”