Dozens of Democrats back 'temporary pause' in Gaza in letter to Biden

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Twenty-nine Democratic lawmakers penned a letter to US President Joe Biden on Friday, advocating for a "temporary pause" in Gaza hostilities to facilitate hostage release.

"A temporary pause in fighting will not only help release the hostages and give desperately needed relief to the millions of civilians displaced by this war, it can also open a path to permanently ending the conflict," Congressmen Brad Schneider and Jimmy Panetta, joined by 27 other representatives, wrote in the letter.

Pausing the fighting and enabling sufficient delivery of food, water, medicine and other essential supplies will create a space for people to eventually return to their home communities, turning attention to recovery in the region, the letter noted.

"To achieve this outcome, the United States must work with Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians and our allies to create a provisional recovery administration to secure Gaza until a permanent government can be established," the lawmakers said.

According to the letter, there cannot be a permanent peace as "as long as Hamas, PIJ (Palestine Islamic Jihad) and other terrorist groups reign with terror in Gaza, or threaten Israel and its people."

The lawmakers said a permanent peace is possible, but only through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, "supported and reinforced with US leadership."

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

More than 30,200 Palestinians have since been killed and over 70,400 others injured, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.