1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am a Jewish American constituent writing from rural central New York to urgently call for immediate action in enforcing a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel continues to act with impunity and disregard the authority of the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Israel’s ongoing atrocities demand international action and sanctions IMMEDIATELY. As the bombardment of Rafah continues, Palestinians who are unable to flee are trapped and targeted by Israeli drones operating under ‘shoot to kill’ orders. Haitham al-Hams, deputy director of ambulance and emergency services in Rafah, has reported that Israeli quadcopters are attacking residents, even in areas designated as ‘safe’. “We are receiving numerous calls for help from citizens as quadcopters are targeting displaced people in these areas where they are staying – even in the safe areas. The difficulty for ambulances to reach those areas is great due to the targeting of the emergency teams. Yesterday, a car belonging to the civil defence was struck”. Human rights groups have reported that Israeli forces are increasingly using electronically-controlled quadcopters – equipped with machine guns and missiles – for killing and injuring Palestinians. These quadcopters, which are about one meter in diameter, were previously used for intelligence gathering. Now, they are being used as tools for bombing, shooting, and as “suicide drones,” causing widespread terror and death. This also follows reports in April of Israeli drones playing recordings of women and children crying to lure Palestinians into targeted areas before opening fire. This tactic is part of a broader strategy of using unarmed drones and tanks with shoot-to-kill orders, a method of industrialised killing that has been ongoing for eight months during the genocide in Gaza. The devastation in Gaza is unimaginable, and yet our leaders will not take action. As Israeli forces push deeper into Rafah with intense air attacks and heavy artillery shelling, all of Rafah’s field hospitals, except one, have been rendered non-operational. Over the last four days, Israel has also taken control of the Philadelphi Corridor, blocking all aid and fuel, and preventing the severely wounded from leaving Gaza. Taking control of the Gaza-Egyptian border to stop aid, bombing operational field hospitals to stop treatment, and killing anyone trying to leave their homes, including children, shows a clear intent to commit genocide. This government’s unwavering support for Israel must end and perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be prosecuted. I urge you to advocate for immediate sanctions against Israel, including the suspension of military aid and an arms embargo.