WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Tuesday released the following statement on the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza:

“World Central Kitchen volunteers have played a heroic role in getting food to innocent civilians facing famine inside Gaza. The deaths of these seven aid workers, killed by Israeli airstrikes, are outrageous, and underscore the continued need for Israel to set up a working deconfliction mechanism with humanitarian organizations to prevent these tragedies from happening.

Since this incident, aid ships carrying 240 tons of additional humanitarian aid have left Gaza’s shore and turned back toward Cyprus, and the UAE is pausing its support of the maritime corridor. With the sea route shutting down and delivery of aid via land routes already far too restricted, it is near impossible for enough urgently needed humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza. Israel must immediately suspend military operations inside Gaza and allow for a dramatic surge in humanitarian aid.”

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