December 08, 2025

Warren, Schatz, Senators Launch Investigation into Trump Administration’s Plans for Gaza Aid

Senators concerned that “aid distribution system that would be similar to the deadly sites run by the failed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation… more than 1000 Palestinians were killed near these sites while seeking food.”

“The public deserves a clear understanding of how US troops and diplomats will facilitate the rapid distribution of aid in Gaza and relieve Palestinians of an ongoing hunger crisis.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) led Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in launching an investigation into the role of the U.S. military in distributing humanitarian assistance to Gaza following the October ceasefire.

On October 17th, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the opening of a Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Israel as the “main coordination hub for Gaza assistance.” The center is operated by 200 US troops and diplomatic staff. Despite CENTCOM’s inexperience with addressing humanitarian crises of this scale, the CMCC has been touted as a focal point for NGOs, private sector actors, and international security forces to coordinate the delivery of aid.

“While CENTCOM has extensive experience in stabilization and intelligence missions, we are concerned that the addition of this broad humanitarian mandate executed by military units with little experience in addressing the kind of humanitarian catastrophe facing Gaza, as well as the lack of Palestinian officials involved in the CMCC to help develop plans for the peaceful transition of Gaza, will have significant consequences to the CMCC’s success,” wrote the senators.

Moreover, reports have emerged that CMCC officials are considering recreating an aid distribution system similar to the deadly model run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). GHF relied on heavily armed contractors to distribute aid at a limited number of sites, where more than 1,000 Palestinians were killed while seeking food. In prior ceasefires the UN operated more than 400 sites.

The Senators called on officials at State and the Department of Defense (DoD) to reject this proposal, writing, “This is the wrong approach: hungry people should not be killed trying to feed their families. To ensure reliable food access in Gaza, the US should avoid building a handful of militarized aid distribution sites.”

Since the October ceasefire, the Netanyahu government has blocked $50 million worth of assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, and hundreds of aid trucks with food have been barred from entry. Over the course of the conflict, reported restrictions have included blocking medical supplies like crutches and sleeping bags because they were green or “had zippers.” The Senators urged US officials to reject the Netanyahu government’s aid restrictions, writing, “(f)or the CMCC to succeed in coordinating aid delivery to Gaza, it is essential to eliminate Israel’s arbitrary restrictions on humanitarian assistance.”

While Trump’s 20-point peace plan emphasizes the necessity of a pathway to Palestinian statehood, there is no reported involvement of Palestinian officials from a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) in the CMCC or other Palestinian technocrats who could offer key insights on future governance questions of Gaza, its transition away from Hamas’ militant governance, or how Palestinians in Gaza should be included in crafting a prosperous future for themselves.

“The CMCC presents an opportunity to ensure the full implementation of the ceasefire and transition to a durable, civilian government in Gaza,” the senators concluded. “But DOD and State Department officials should not replicate the harm of the GHF system and instead facilitate professional humanitarian actors to address the crisis.”

Senator Warren has been a strong advocate for humanitarian assistance to Gaza:

  • On November 24, 2025 Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Markey, and 98 members of Congress urged the Trump administration to work with both Israeli authorities and international partners to push toward rebuilding accessible hospitals and medical infrastructure in Gaza.
  • On November 4, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed Austin Dahmer, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, on her concerns about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to ensure Palestinians get desperately needed aid without interference.
  • On October 9, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the Department of State (State Department) requesting an explanation for the department’s failure to provide timely consular services to American citizens who were detained while on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
  • On September 25, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene with the Netanyahu government to protect the safety of peaceful civilian members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has reportedly been facing multiple attacks.
  • On September 3, 2025, Senator Warren, Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) demanded clarity from the Department of State (State) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on its decision to award $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
  • On June 20, 2025, Senator Warren sent a new letter to the Secretary of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) raising her concerns about the Department of State’s reported plan to give $500 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
  • On May 22, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 28 senators in introducing a resolution calling on the Trump Administration to use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to bring an end to the blockade of food and lifesaving humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza.
  • On May 9, 2025, Senator Warren and colleagues urged President Trump to take an active role in pressing for humanitarian aid and a return to ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in order to ensure Israel’s security and end more than 15 months of devastating conflict in Gaza.
  • On May 6, 2025, Senators Warren, Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called on U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro to launch a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into the federal government’s compliance with laws that require the U.S. to ensure recipients of U.S. assistance respect human rights and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
  • On April 23, 2024, Senator Warren released a statement on the passage of the national security supplemental package supporting life-saving humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and criticizing the provision of more aid for Israel without additional conditions and prohibition of funds to UNRWA.
  • On March 22, 2024, Senator Warren and colleagues pressed the Biden administration to find that the Netanyahu Government’s assurances regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza do not meet the “credible and reliable” test required by National Security Memorandum (NSM)-20.
  • On March 11, 2024, Senator Warren and colleagues urged the Biden administration to follow the law by halting arms shipments to Israel while humanitarian aid was prevented from entering the Gaza strip.
  • On February 2, 2024, Senator Warren and colleagues pressured the Biden administration to encourage Israeli officials to take five specific steps to significantly increase urgently needed humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.
  • On December 7, 2023, Senator Warren and lawmakers announced that they are working on an amendment to require that the weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.

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