Today, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to take immediate action to prevent a further humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In a letter sent to both officials, Slotkin highlighted a joint proposal from Jewish and Muslim leaders in Michigan aimed at delivering life-saving aid to children suffering from severe food and medical supply shortages.
Read the story about the letter in the Detroit News here.
The proposal calls for the immediate opening of all checkpoints into Gaza for the purpose of distributing critical humanitarian supplies, including infant formula, clean drinking water, and medical treatments for child malnourishment, regardless of the status of ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
“I write with a proposal, initiated by Jewish and Muslim leaders in Michigan, to save the lives of children in Gaza. With the humanitarian situation hitting a breaking point, feeding innocent children and protecting them from starvation should be a universal value,” wrote Slotkin.
“This proposal was conceived of by a Jewish rabbi and a Muslim physician and community leader. As you know, the war in Gaza has deeply affected Michigan communities, where large Muslim, Arab, and Jewish populations make their home. That is why this interfaith call to action coming out of Michigan is significant and should be implemented without delay,” Slotkin continued.
The letter was also sent to Israeli and United Nations officials, including the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Full text of the letter is below, and you can download the letter here.
July 30, 2025
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Mr. Steve Witkoff
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East
Executive Office of the President
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Secretary Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff:
I write with a proposal, initiated by Jewish and Muslim leaders in Michigan, to save the lives of children in Gaza. With the humanitarian situation hitting a breaking point, feeding innocent children and protecting them from starvation should be a universal value. To that end, we propose to immediately open all checkpoints into Gaza for supplies that are critical to the survival of mothers and children, including infant formula, clean drinking water, and supplies to treat child malnourishment. Under this proposal, these materials should be permanently green-lit and allowed in by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) regardless of the status of ceasefire negotiations and without delay. This should be additive to the expanded humanitarian access announced by the IDF on Saturday.
Just as the U.S. military had a responsibility to facilitate movement of aid into places like Iraq, where I served, and Afghanistan, the Government of Israel must do the same to prevent starvation in Gaza. This proposal is a concrete step forward, aimed at building trust toward the full and unfettered opening of checkpoints to life-saving aid beyond what was announced on Saturday.
This proposal was conceived of by a Jewish rabbi and a Muslim physician and community leader. As you know, the war in Gaza has deeply affected Michigan communities, where large Muslim, Arab, and Jewish populations make their home. That is why this interfaith call to action coming out of Michigan is significant and should be implemented without delay. This is the first time since the beginning of this conflict that I have been approached by leaders from both the Jewish and Muslim communities with a joint proposal. It is a testament to the scope of humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Gaza—as well as the strength of the universal values that these communities still share.
To be clear, these leaders stand ready to donate or cover the full cost of these supplies to address this crisis. In Michigan, we have the organizational capacity to coordinate fundraising and/or collection of such donations effectively, such that funding for this process should not be an issue. What we are asking for is a consistent, IDF-approved green light for these critical supplies to be permitted to reach mothers and children in Gaza without delay and regardless of the status of the ceasefire negotiations. We urge this Administration to use its significant influence to ensure this happens without delay.
Sincerely,
Elissa Slotkin
United States Senator
cc: Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, COGAT Coordinator Major General Ghassan Alian, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain
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