Over 1,000 US Aid Officials Implore Biden to Halt Gaza Strikes
Firsthand Witnesses to Devastation
USAID is the U.S. government’s lead international development body. Its personnel have worked in Gaza and seen the harrowing impacts of air strikes on hospitals, schools, and vital infrastructure.
Now as Israel launches a fierce new offensive in Gaza, USAID officials draw from their on-the-ground experiences to argue for an end to the bombing. With children and civilians paying the highest price, they implore Biden to act quickly before more innocent lives are lost.
The Disproportionate Toll
In just the past few days, Israeli air raids have unleashed widespread destruction across Gaza. Jets struck the Al-Rantisi Hospital, forcing medical evacuations of newly injured civilians seeking care.
At least 15 children were killed in a single strike on a residential area. Having aided Gazans through past conflicts, the aid officials describe the extreme trauma inflicted on a population unable to flee to safety.
With Gaza blockaded by air, land and sea, over 2 million residents remain trapped as airstrikes batter the impoverished territory. The USAID letter stresses Gaza's hospitals overwhelmed, economy devastated and children traumatized from repeated bombing campaigns.
Upholding American Values
The aid officials tell President Biden that enabling these strikes contradicts American values. With the U.S. supplying military aid to Israel, the USAID signatories argue the U.S. bears responsibility for the humanitarian fallout.
Pointing to Israel’s far superior military capabilities and America’s public commitment to human rights, they urge Biden to leverage U.S. support to stop the loss of civilian lives in Gaza. Otherwise, America’s moral standing is undermined as the death toll grows.
Preventing a Public Health Catastrophe
Beyond the immediate carnage, the USAID letter warns of disastrous long-term impacts in Gaza if the bombing persists. With electricity, sanitation systems, healthcare facilities and other infrastructure cratered by missiles, Gaza risks total collapse into a public health catastrophe.
As aid workers who have witnessed past recovery efforts in Gaza, the officials forecast a bleak future if the onslaught continues. They know firsthand how poverty, despair and extremism take root when societies are reduced to rubble. This underscores the moral imperative for an immediate ceasefire.
Heeding Voices from the Field
USAID personnel have aided vulnerable communities worldwide through war, natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Their frontline perspectives lend moral authority to their plea.
By imploring President Biden to stop the loss of civilian lives in Gaza, they are sounding an urgent alarm informed by their development work under perilous conditions. Their insights should spur urgent action to prevent a deepening of Gaza’s humanitarian emergency.
