US allies pressured Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza amid int'l outrage over food shortages

Israel’s sudden change in its humanitarian aid strategy is partly due to pressure from U.S. lawmakers, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

A group of senators and congressional representatives, described as “close allies,” recently conveyed to the Israeli government that more needed to be done to help the Palestinian residents of Gaza, partly to address negative international perceptions of Israel stemming from the war.

According to the JPost, the lawmakers told the Israeli government, “Help us help you.” 

The lawmakers affirmed their support for Israel, and denied charges that Israel is deliberately starving the residents of Gaza, but said the Jewish state still needs to do more to improve its public image. 

“We don’t believe the claims of widespread famine in Gaza, but you must take concrete steps to allow aid in.” 

The JPost cited an Israeli official who stated, “Israel failed to counter the false starvation narrative and was forced to take these measures to relieve international pressure.” 

While many of the lawmakers who contacted the Israeli government were reportedly Republican lawmakers, several Democrat pro-Israel groups and lawmakers also urged Israel to address the “desperate” situation in Gaza. 

Democrat Representative Brad Schneider wrote on 𝕏, “The situation in Gaza is undeniably dire and Israel must take immediate action to ensure sufficient food gets into the territory and to the people in desperate need.” 

The situation in Gaza is undeniably dire and Israel must take immediate action to ensure sufficient food gets into the territory and to the people in desperate need.

My statement on the situation in Gaza and the disintegration of ceasefire talks: pic.twitter.com/VwKlpRHzsF

— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) July 25, 2025

“The world must not turn a blind eye to the fact that children are starving because of this war,” Schneider said.

Democratic Majority for Israel CEO Brian Romick said on Friday, “Even as Hamas works to prolong this war and prevent food from getting to people in need, Israel – along with the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and the rest of the international community – must continue to work to get food to innocent children in Gaza.”

While the Israeli government recently admitted that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is severe, it has also pointed to the United Nations as shouldering some of the blame, alleging a failure to collect aid that had already been inspected and transferred to the Gaza side of the border. 

Recent articles from Israeli journalists demonstrate, however, that there is legitimate concern about the food situation in Gaza, recognizing that Hamas purposely contributes to the food shortages, believing it will lead to international pressure on Israel to end the war. 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, an outspoken supporter of Israel, welcomed the entry of additional aid into the Gaza Strip and said Israel will have to change its strategy in dealing with Hamas. 

“I think President Trump has come to believe, and I've certainly come to believe, there's no way you're going to negotiate an end to this war with Hamas,” Graham said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday. 

“Hamas is a terrorist organization that is chartered to destroy the state of Israel. They're religious Nazis. They hold Israeli hostages. I think Israel has come to conclude that it can't achieve a goal of ending the war with Hamas that would be satisfactory to the safety of Israel,” Graham continued. 

U.S. President Donald Trump recently stressed that Israel would have to make a decisive move regarding Gaza.

“Israel will have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters during his trip to Scotland. “I know what I would do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to say it.” 

Trump addressed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying, “It’s terrible to see the children, especially in recent weeks. People are stealing food, stealing money, stealing money meant for food. It’s a mess. The whole place is a mess – Gaza.” 

The U.S. president also said that Hamas is confiscating aid, and that the terror group is resistant to giving up more hostages, knowing it would lose leverage. 

“When you get it down to a certain number, you’re not going to be able to make a deal with Hamas because once they give them up, then they feel that that’s going to be the end of them,” Trump said, referring to the collapse in the hostage negotiations. 

“They don’t want to give [the hostages] back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision.”