U.S. Rep. Blake Moore, of Utah’s 1st Congressional District, said Monday that he hopes President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, but he believes there is little Congress can currently do to address the crisis, as increasing numbers of Palestinians, including many children, face the prospect of starvation.
Moore — who serves as the vice chair of the House Republican caucus and is the only member of Congressional leadership from Utah — was asked about the significant U.S. investment in Israel by a University of Utah student Monday during an appearance at the school, where he was hosted for a discussion by conservative think tank The Sutherland Institute.
Asked specifically about his own support of Israel in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Moore said Israel “hasn’t always been perfect,” and noted that the country has killed aid workers in Gaza. He added that he believes the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been “incredibly painful and difficult,” but said he thinks it is important that the U.S. remain allied with Israel.
“My blinders are not on, but it’s very important for us to have Israel still be protected,” he said. The majority of the U.S. funding goes towards the nation’s defensive Iron Dome counter-rocket program.
Moore went on to say that he believes that “when there are mistakes made,” both the Trump and Biden administrations have done “a decent job of being critical and not just having the blinders on.”
The lawmaker’s comments Monday marked something of a change in tone since the initial attacks. The congressman has previously taken to the House floor to critique former President Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions in the region — particularly his dealings with Iran — and, shortly after October 7, released forceful statements in support of Israel.
But during the question and answer session following Monday’s events, Moore focused largely on his concerns about the lack of aid making its way into Gaza and noted repeatedly that he does not think Israel is without fault.
“This is an impossible situation that has obviously gone on for decades, and I’m hopeful that Israel can navigate the next phase of this and ensure that humanitarian aid can get there,” he said.
Moore also spoke about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, calling the hostage situation “horrific,” and defended Israel’s attempt to eliminate the group.
“Given the mission... to root out and remove Hamas from power, there’s some casualties that come from that,” he said. “It’s really horrific, but they need to make sure that they’re doing their best on humanitarian aid, and I hope our administration is pushing that way.”
Over the last 22 months, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 156,000 more, they said, have been wounded.
The crisis in Gaza has been amplified in recent weeks as many people in the country face the prospect of starvation.
According to the United Nations, one in every three people in Gaza is going without food for multiple days at a time, and more than 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April. At least 16 children under the age of five, the UN said, have died from hunger-related causes since the middle of July.
The Health Ministry reportedly said Monday that some Palestinians attempting to access aid have been killed in the process, reporting that 1,965 have been killed while trying to get aid from convoys or killed close to aid distribution sites, and that at least seven people were killed Monday morning alone while trying to access aid.
Asked following the event whether there was anything he thought there was anything congressional lawmakers should do to address the humanitarian crisis, Moore said there was “not much that Congress is really doing” for Israel other than providing support for Iron Dome funding, but added, vaguely, “There’s more that’s being done on that than is going to be communicated.”
A significant portion of the U.S.’s support for Israel has come from the executive branch, The New York Times reported, as the Trump administration has bypassed congressional approval. Although there is a growing group of lawmakers who back a proposed ban on the sale of bombs and assault rifles to the country, and many Democrats have become increasingly outspoken on the issue in recent weeks and months.
Asked whether he thinks Congress should pull back defense funding for Israel unless the country allows aid into Gaza, Moore said Monday, “I don’t know the scenario on that right now.”
“There’s nothing imminent right now that’s being [put on the House floor],” he told reporters. “They’re going to remain an ally, and we want that to be the case. And, you know, hopefully it doesn’t have to come to that.”
Federal lawmakers are currently away from Washington for their annual recess, but the issue of support for Israel and aid for Gazans will be front and center upon their return early next month.
One piece of legislation passed through the House Appropriations Committee last month would bar funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, which acts as one of the main distributors of aid in Gaza.
Asked whether he would support the bill on the House floor, a spokesperson for Moore did not respond.