{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-president-biden-makes-trip-to-israel-van-hollen-welch-and-schatz-urge-administration-to-reinforce-humanitarian-protections-in-gaza", "As President Biden Makes Trip to Israel, Van Hollen, Welch, and Schatz Urge Administration to Reinforce Humanitarian Protections in Gaza", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Yesterday, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) sent a letter to President Joe Biden ahead of the President\u2019s meeting with Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to reinforce the importance of protecting civilians and the need for immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza\u2014including providing civilians with water, food, electricity, fuel, and medicine.\n\nEarlier this week, the Senators issued a joint statement condemning Hamas for its brutal actions against Israel and calling for protections for the two million people trapped in Gaza.\n\nFull text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nMr. President,\n\nYou have expressed eloquently our horror at the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, including women, children, parents, and grandparents. We share your unequivocal condemnation of these terror attacks and kidnappings.\n\nWe stand with you in full support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself, in accordance with international law, and support the provision of additional military assistance to reinforce that mission in this moment of maximum peril.\n\nAs you have stated, \u201cdemocracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.\u201d As you prepare to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, we urge that every effort be made to avoid civilian harm and to allow access to humanitarian aid for those in need, including but not limited to:\n\nRestoring access to food, electricity, water, fuel, and medicine for the approximately two million Palestinian civilians living in Gaza, including more than one million children, who are victims themselves of Hamas\u2019 oppressive rule;\n\nEstablishing a humanitarian corridor immediately to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and safe passage for U.S. citizens who seek safety outside Gaza; and\n\nMitigating the destruction of Palestinian homes in Gaza from which they are being urged to flee so they may return to live when hostilities end, as well as other civilian infrastructure.\n\nFinally, as anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents of hate rise in the United States amidst this conflict, we urge you to take whatever steps are necessary to protect vulnerable communities. We must remain united in our commitment to rejecting hate and upholding human rights, as well as to a just and lasting peace in the region.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-president-biden-makes-trip-to-israel-van-hollen-welch-and-schatz-urge-administration-to-reinforce-humanitarian-protections-in-gaza"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7508580349385738, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}