1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Between 10/7 - 4/24, Israel has dropped more tons of bombs than all those dropped in World War II on Gaza. I remember when I first learned about the bombing of Dresden. In a joint U.S. and UK operation, the German city of Dresden - a cultural hub and civilian center with little to no military significance - was indiscriminately bombed and destroyed. The firestorm caused by the attack destroyed 1,600 acres of land. Kurt Vonnegut, a POW held in Dresden at the time of the bombing, wrote about his real experience in his famous novel Slaughterhouse 5. When the POWs emerged after the destruction, Vonnegut said the city “looked like the surface of the moon...There were too many corpses to bury. So instead the Germans sent in troops with flamethrowers. All these civilians’ remains were burned to ashes.” I think of Gaza now in those words. Gaza is unrecognizable with the scale of destruction and indiscriminate bombing. I think about the thousands of bodies buried under the rubble, buried in unmarked mass graves by Israel in an attempt to obfuscate their war crimes, and those who cannot be buried due to their bodies having been turned to ash and mixed in the rubble. How many times will we let history repeat? Today, 6/6, the extent of the recent Nuseirat refugee camp massacre is coming out - 40 murdered and 74 injured. Israel has been bombing civilian structures in the area, as always, - most recently targeting a school housing displaced people. In the past 24 hours, the limited functioning Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah has advised 141 have arrived dead, with 380 injured and they cannot accommodate the number of casualties. No matter where Palestinians are in Gaza, they face impossible conditions and the imminent risk of being murdered by Israel either by direct bombardment, starvation, lack of clean water, lack of healthcare, and the lack of all other necessities of life. I demand that you:  – Hold Israel accountable for a permanent, immediate ceasefire, their violations of the Genocide Convention, and gross human rights violations by any means necessary – Call for the immediate end of Israel’s occupation and apartheid and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom and peace – Secure the immediate release and safety of all Palestinians who have been abducted and held captive by Israel, including those whose indefinite detention began prior to 10/7 – Permanently end all monetary, diplomatic, and military aid given to Israel and enforce Leahy Law – Reallocate all funds given to Israel and commit additional resources for ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians starting with immediately resuming funding of UNRWA – Immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, military assets, and all other assets deployed throughout the Middle East and cease all actions that further escalate a larger regional conflict – Pass legislation that voids all anti-BDS laws at the federal level – Vote no on H.R. 7521 and any similar legislation proposed