Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for the United Stated to ramp up its humanitarian aid to Gaza, citing dire conditions reported by the United Nations. His comments on Tuesday followed an unrelated press conference and were first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
This comes just after the United Nations report released on July 29 described “widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease” in Gaza, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
On Tuesday, Shapiro first called for the immediate return of the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza before telling The Philadelphia Inquirer that the United States “has a moral responsibility to flood the zone with aid and make sure those children that need to be fed get the food and the nourishment and the medicines that they need to be able to survive this.”
Shapiro has been a public supporter of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, despite facing backlash from advocates for not calling for a cease-fire. He has openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for being a “failed leader” and for taking Israel in a “very dangerous direction,” as stated in The Inquirer.
Shapiro has also repeatedly expressed his support for a two-state solution and criticism of pro-Palestinian encampments on university campuses such as the University of Pennsylvania.
“I think it is fair to say that I’m both praying for the return of the hostages and praying to make sure that these kids get fed in Gaza,” Shapiro told The Inquirer. “The fact that kids are starving in Gaza is not OK.”
His support for increased aid in Gaza coincides with an increase in public support for Palestinian aid. The Inquirer article stated that, according to a new Gallup poll, only 32% of Americans support Israel’s military tactics in Gaza, a decline from earlier in the conflict.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania governor and potential 2028 Democratic Party presidential candidate denounced Netanyahu’s assertion that there is no Palestinian starvation in Gaza, saying that is “just wrong.”
“The rhetoric coming from Prime Minister Netanyahu only creates less stability and security for Israel, who is a critical ally of the United States, whose democracy is important that it be present and flourish in the Middle East,” Shapiro said. “I think we have a national security interest in that.”
The governor continued to add that he believes Hamas does intercept aid and the aid network “is not as sophisticated as it needs to be.”
Reports published in The New York Times cited Israeli officials saying there was no proof that Hamas routinely stole aid from the United Nations, but according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, evidence does show that Hamas stole aid from other smaller organizations.
Shapiro has been widely considered as one of the most prominent Jewish politicians in the country and is the third Jewish governor in Pennsylvania’s history.
“I think everyone has a moral responsibility to figure out how to feed these kids,” Shapiro said.