Warning that “the entire population of the Gaza Strip … is facing acute levels of hunger,” a group of 30 Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), introduced a resolution on Thursday condemning Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza and calling on the Trump administration to work to end it.

The resolution states that the senators are “gravely concerned” with the “humanitarian crisis and acute suffering of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza” and “the suffering of the hostages and hostage families.”

It implores the U.S. government to “urgently use all available diplomatic tools to bring about the release of the hostages, an immediate cessation of the blockade on food and humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and a durable end to the conflict in Gaza.”

The resolution asserts that “the entire population of the Gaza Strip … is facing acute levels of hunger.” 

The resolution was co-sponsored by a broad cross-section of lawmakers: ​​Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). 

The United States and Israel have been working to launch a new aid distribution mechanism; international organizations and some of the same U.S. senators have decried that proposal as unworkable.