1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

There are moments that scream so loudly, they cannot be ignored, and this is one of those moments. Every day, children and innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire of an unfortunate war they did not ask for. These individuals are not just statistics, but humans with dreams, aspirations, and families that love them. How heartbreaking it is to be witnessing such atrocities and yet, despite our awareness, we remain passive, paving the way for an endless cycle of violence. To stand such human suffering is a defeat of our shared humanity, ergo this is a plea from an ordinary man to demand an urgent and immediate ceasefire. Money and arms sent to fuel these devastating actions seem to only amplify the ferocity and extend the life of the conflict. It’s time to reassess our values and responsibilities. Our tax dollars have been used in enabling this devastating cycle of violence. Are we content knowing that the funding we provide supports the malign actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people? This is not an issue of political bias; rather it's a basic question of humanity. We should demand an immediate end to U.S funding and the provisioning of arms pushing these atrocities forward. The cost of our silence is paid in lives. Regardless of the complexities of the conflict, it’s the innocent who suffer most. This is a plea for not just a ceasefire, but a lasting peace. We must move away from the dangerous ideologies that cause us to regard some lives as less valuable than others. We must not shy away from demanding the abolition of crimes against humanity— for those are sins that cannot be tolerated. The international community must unite and use its collective voice to firmly reject the continuation of this violence. This is an urgent call to action— for the sake of the innocent, for the sake of humanity. It is only when collective morality overpowers collective apathy that we may achieve peace.