1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

Dear President Biden, Senator Durbin, Senator Duckworth, and Representative Bost; I am writing to you urgently to call for immediate action in ending this genocide of Palestinian people. 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’. 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. A harrowing testimony from a mother in Rafah during the Rafah Tent Massacre on 26th May 2024 illustrates the horror. ”I left my children playing in the tent. I hugged them as it felt like the last hug. I left to cook them something to eat. I came back panicking when I heard the airstrikes. I found my SIX children that couldn’t fit in the tent. They burnt and became ash. I carried all six in my arm as if it were a handful of sand. I continued hugging and kissing them. My six children, my world they became the size of a handful of sand.” 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 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. The international community must not stand by while these atrocities continue. Concrete actions must be taken to hold Israel accountable and to halt these crimes against humanity. Thank you for your attention at this critical time. I look forward to your prompt and decisive action in support of justice and human rights for the Palestinian people. Your constituent, Chelsea Hunter