1. United States
2. Letter

The blood and tears that stain the streets of Gaza are intolerable. This anguish has not emerged organically, but is a direct result of the relentless training, arms, and funding, largely provisioned by the United States, that support an occupation designed to devalue and decimate Palestinian lives. It is in our humanity that we must recognize this oppression for what it is: a blatant, horrifying exhibition of crimes against humanity. We, as citizens of the U.S., are indirectly complicit in these acts if we stand idly by. The urgency to act is not tomorrow or the next day -- the urgency is now! While we sit comfortably in the safety of our homes, Palestinian civilians, children included, are subjected to constant fear and violence. The rubble of homes, hospitals, schools, besieged and decimated by relentless bombardment, is their reality. It is not politics, it is human lives, innocent lives, that are being lost, dismantled, and forever scarred. This must stop. The ceaseless funding that enables this cycle of terror needs to be halted immediately. The U.S., known to boast its role as a global peacekeeper, must use its influence to bring about a ceasefire. No child should be sacrificed at the altar of imperialistic dominance. No mother should have to bury her offspring due to political wrangling. The human rights abuses, the blatant disregard for international laws, the encroachment of occupied lands, and the methodical obliteration of a nation's identity, culture, and livelihoods have persisted for far too long. Our ears are ringing with the repeated calls of help from Gaza – answer them! Stop funding arms that extinguish innocent lives. We must demand an immediate ceasefire, demand an end to the funding that fuels this violence, and insist upon the implementation of measures to hold the guilty accountable for their crimes against humanity. Our shared humanity demands this of us.