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To: Ambassador of Israel to the United States Embassy of Israel 3514 International Drive, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008, USA
Winter Clothes and Tents for Children in Gaza
PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY DR. YECHIEL (MICHAEL) LEITER
Ambassador of Israel to the United States Embassy of Israel
3514 International Drive, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008, USA
From: Concerned Physicians and Health Professionals
Date: December 14, 2025
Subject: Urgent Appeal to Facilitate Humanitarian and Medical Access to Gaza in Light of Winter Storm Byron, Blocked Winterized Aid, and Human Rights Conditions
Dear Ambassador Leiter,
At the outset, we wish to express our unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism in all its forms and to offer our condolences and solidarity to those affected by recent antisemitic attacks and threats reported in Bondi, and in other communities. As physicians committed to the dignity and safety of all people, we are morally outraged by acts of hatred, intimidation, and violence directed at Jewish individuals and institutions. Antisemitism is an assault on human dignity and has no place in medicine, academia, or civil society.
We emphasize this unequivocally because opposition to antisemitism and concern for Palestinian civilian suffering are not in conflict. Both arise from the same ethical commitment to protect human life, oppose collective punishment, and prevent harm to civilians, especially children, wherever they may be.
We write with grave concern regarding the ongoing humanitarian and public-health emergency in the Gaza Strip. This crisis, now compounded by the effects of Winter Storm Byron and corroborated by extensive reporting from Israeli, international, and United Nations humanitarian organizations, demands immediate action to prevent avoidable illness, suffering, and death.
Our Requests
1. Immediate Entry of Blocked Winterized Aid: Facilitate without delay the entry of the approximately 6,500 humanitarian aid trucks currently blocked, with priority given to winterized shelters, blankets, warm clothing, heating fuel, food, clean water, and medical supplies.
2. Safe Access for Medical and Humanitarian Teams: Ensure the safe and unimpeded entry of international and regional medical personnel and humanitarian workers so that aid can be effectively distributed and medical care delivered.
3. Coordination With Humanitarian Agencies: Engage transparently with UN agencies, WHO, UNRWA, ICRC, Médecins Sans Frontières, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, and other reputable organizations to establish predictable humanitarian corridors.
4. Protection of Civilians: Prioritize the protection of civilians, especially infants, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illness or disability, from exposure, deprivation, and preventable harm.
Conclusion
The convergence of winter storms, mass displacement, and the documented blocking of essential humanitarian aid has created a foreseeable and preventable public-health catastrophe. Preventing children from freezing is not a political issue, it is a medical, ethical, and humanitarian imperative. We urge immediate action consistent with the values of human dignity, protection of civilians, and opposition to all forms of hatred.
Respectfully submitted,
3514 International Drive, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008, USA
From: Concerned Physicians and Health Professionals
Date: December 14, 2025
Subject: Urgent Appeal to Facilitate Humanitarian and Medical Access to Gaza in Light of Winter Storm Byron, Blocked Winterized Aid, and Human Rights Conditions
Dear Ambassador Leiter,
At the outset, we wish to express our unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism in all its forms and to offer our condolences and solidarity to those affected by recent antisemitic attacks and threats reported in Bondi, and in other communities. As physicians committed to the dignity and safety of all people, we are morally outraged by acts of hatred, intimidation, and violence directed at Jewish individuals and institutions. Antisemitism is an assault on human dignity and has no place in medicine, academia, or civil society.
We emphasize this unequivocally because opposition to antisemitism and concern for Palestinian civilian suffering are not in conflict. Both arise from the same ethical commitment to protect human life, oppose collective punishment, and prevent harm to civilians, especially children, wherever they may be.
We write with grave concern regarding the ongoing humanitarian and public-health emergency in the Gaza Strip. This crisis, now compounded by the effects of Winter Storm Byron and corroborated by extensive reporting from Israeli, international, and United Nations humanitarian organizations, demands immediate action to prevent avoidable illness, suffering, and death.
Our Requests
1. Immediate Entry of Blocked Winterized Aid: Facilitate without delay the entry of the approximately 6,500 humanitarian aid trucks currently blocked, with priority given to winterized shelters, blankets, warm clothing, heating fuel, food, clean water, and medical supplies.
2. Safe Access for Medical and Humanitarian Teams: Ensure the safe and unimpeded entry of international and regional medical personnel and humanitarian workers so that aid can be effectively distributed and medical care delivered.
3. Coordination With Humanitarian Agencies: Engage transparently with UN agencies, WHO, UNRWA, ICRC, Médecins Sans Frontières, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, and other reputable organizations to establish predictable humanitarian corridors.
4. Protection of Civilians: Prioritize the protection of civilians, especially infants, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illness or disability, from exposure, deprivation, and preventable harm.
Conclusion
The convergence of winter storms, mass displacement, and the documented blocking of essential humanitarian aid has created a foreseeable and preventable public-health catastrophe. Preventing children from freezing is not a political issue, it is a medical, ethical, and humanitarian imperative. We urge immediate action consistent with the values of human dignity, protection of civilians, and opposition to all forms of hatred.
Respectfully submitted,
Why is this important?
Medical and Public Health Imperatives
Winter Storm Byron has further destabilized already catastrophic living conditions for displaced civilians in Gaza. Heavy rains, flooding, water-soaked encampments, and plummeting nighttime temperatures expose vulnerable populations to hypothermia, pneumonia, diarrheal disease, and other life-threatening conditions. Infants and children sleeping on wet ground without insulation or heat face particularly high risk of preventable death. These are not theoretical risks but acute clinical emergencies.
Perspectives From International Medical and Humanitarian Organizations
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has reported treating children with exposure-related illness and has warned that the lack of winterized shelter, heating fuel, and blankets places infants and young children at imminent risk of hypothermia. Amnesty International has documented that displaced families lack insulated tents, warm clothing, and blankets, warning that the denial of these essentials during winter conditions may amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.
United Nations agencies operating in Gaza have repeatedly underscored the urgent need for winterized shelters, fuel, blankets, and uninterrupted humanitarian access. UN officials have warned that children sleeping in cold, flooded conditions face heightened risk of hypothermia, pneumonia, and preventable death, constituting a grave humanitarian emergency.
Specific Findings From Israeli Human Rights and Medical Organizations
B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has reported that approximately 6,500 aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, including winterized tents, blankets, clothing, food, and medical necessities, have been blocked from entering Gaza, despite the onset of winter storms and mass civilian displacement. According to B’Tselem, the obstruction of this aid has directly contributed to civilians, including children, being left without shelter, warmth, or basic protection from the elements.
Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) has similarly warned blocking or delaying humanitarian aid, fuel, and shelter materials during winter conditions directly endangers civilian lives and violates core obligations under medical ethics and international humanitarian law.
Winter Storm Byron has further destabilized already catastrophic living conditions for displaced civilians in Gaza. Heavy rains, flooding, water-soaked encampments, and plummeting nighttime temperatures expose vulnerable populations to hypothermia, pneumonia, diarrheal disease, and other life-threatening conditions. Infants and children sleeping on wet ground without insulation or heat face particularly high risk of preventable death. These are not theoretical risks but acute clinical emergencies.
Perspectives From International Medical and Humanitarian Organizations
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has reported treating children with exposure-related illness and has warned that the lack of winterized shelter, heating fuel, and blankets places infants and young children at imminent risk of hypothermia. Amnesty International has documented that displaced families lack insulated tents, warm clothing, and blankets, warning that the denial of these essentials during winter conditions may amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.
United Nations agencies operating in Gaza have repeatedly underscored the urgent need for winterized shelters, fuel, blankets, and uninterrupted humanitarian access. UN officials have warned that children sleeping in cold, flooded conditions face heightened risk of hypothermia, pneumonia, and preventable death, constituting a grave humanitarian emergency.
Specific Findings From Israeli Human Rights and Medical Organizations
B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has reported that approximately 6,500 aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, including winterized tents, blankets, clothing, food, and medical necessities, have been blocked from entering Gaza, despite the onset of winter storms and mass civilian displacement. According to B’Tselem, the obstruction of this aid has directly contributed to civilians, including children, being left without shelter, warmth, or basic protection from the elements.
Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) has similarly warned blocking or delaying humanitarian aid, fuel, and shelter materials during winter conditions directly endangers civilian lives and violates core obligations under medical ethics and international humanitarian law.