Our Urgent Call for Action
When Palestinian children are starving, aid is delayed or denied, and famine looms for all who live in Gaza
When Israeli hostages are held underground in darkness, tortured, and deprived
When war rages on and innocent people suffer every day
All are responsible. Everyone must do more.
National Council of Jewish Women’s urgent calls to action are directed to:
- the Israeli government,
- the United Nations, and
- global leaders and organizations to demand more from Hamas.
To the Israeli Government:
Humanitarian aid must urgently flow into Gaza so that no child, and no family, is hungry.
We are grateful for the 469,000 tons of humanitarian goods already delivered — including 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie food for children in the past week. But more must be done.
Do everything possible to get food to starving children and families now. Open every safe pathway. Remove every obstacle to aid. Ensure aid reaches all Palestinian civilians who need it without obstruction or violence to prevent further suffering, starvation, and famine.
We also urge the Israeli government to continue to pursue an immediate, negotiated deal to bring the hostages home and end the war.
To the United Nations:
Aid from nearly 1,000 trucks sit inside Gaza, undistributed. Aid must reach civilians without delay. If the United Nations cannot or will not distribute this aid, it must urgently partner with humanitarian agencies that can, and will.
The United Nations must also take responsibility for aid already allowed in by Israel that has not reached Palestinian civilians; stop standing on the sidelines and ensure it reaches the people who need it.
Prioritize all pathways for distributing aid in Gaza and implement them immediately.
To global leaders and organizations:
Demand more from Hamas.
Hamas must be pressured to accept a negotiated deal to release all the hostages and end the war.
By refusing, Hamas is responsible for the continued torment of the hostages taken from Israel on October 7, 2023 — and for keeping Palestinian civilians in harm’s way and prolonging their suffering.
We urge international leaders and organizations to intensify pressure for Hamas to agree to release the hostages and end the war.
The war and suffering can end. The hostages can come home. But only if Hamas is pressured to agree to a negotiated deal — and global leaders must do what it takes to get us there.
What NCJW believes:
Every life is sacred — and every person deserves safety, bodily autonomy, food, and freedom.
All Israeli and Palestinian civilians deserve to live in peace with what they need to flourish.
No person should be held captive.
No child should be hungry. No person should die from hunger.
The measure of our humanity is how we treat those in greatest need.
NCJW’s position posted on October 10, 2023 called for:
- The immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.
- Humanitarian aid and medical care to be provided to hostages and impacted civilians in Gaza and Israel.
- The enforcement of international humanitarian law.
These calls made in the week following October 7th remain unchanged. Since then, we’ve also called for a negotiated deal to end the war.
And we’ve engaged more than 10 million people who share our commitment to end the suffering, reunite families, protect both Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and uphold the fundamental dignity and humanity of every person.