Ceasefire in Gaza

As a deeply concerned and actively engaged constituent and global citizen, I join MoveOn in urging you to do everything in your power to enact an immediate and peaceful ceasefire in Gaza. The recent violence against civilians by Hamas and the military response led by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already killed over 8,100 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis, and wounded thousands more, with hundreds of people held hostage and hundreds more missing. We can hold space in our hearts to mourn these deaths while also calling on U.S. policymakers to use your power to stop all further loss of innocent lives, no matter the identity. The Israeli government has stopped all food, fuel, water, electricity, and humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza, which has already had devastating impacts on over 2 million people, half of whom are children. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees just announced that “Gaza is running dry,” and hospitals in Gaza reported that their backup generators are running out of fuel, cutting off life support and vital systems. This action has exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli government's air, land, and sea blockade, and will likely result in catastrophic loss of life if continued. Nearly half of Gaza is under the age of 16, and 65% under the age of 25, effectively meaning that Palestinian children are bearing the brunt of the Israeli government's collective punishment. It’s unacceptable, inhumane, unjust, collective punishment, and is also a violation of international law. It must end now. With your power, you must call for an immediate ceasefire and deescalation, demand the protection of all civilians, including securing the release of hostages, and tell the Israeli government to turn on electricity in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid for Palestinians to enter! Israelis and Palestinians must not be bargaining chips, and their lives must be protected through diplomacy and new solutions. The Israeli government is carrying out a massive ground invasion of Gaza as you read this, and they have already been targeting and bombing civilians in their attacks, which is an egregious violation of international law. This comes as the Israeli government dropped tens of thousands of leaflets from the sky to issue an evacuation order to Gazans living in the northern Gaza Strip, telling 1.1 million Palestinian residents to evacuate south within 24 hours, which the UN said would be impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences. Then, despite naming which routes would be safe for evacuation, the Israeli government bombed Palestinians evacuating. Humanity and millions of human lives are at stake here. We must collectively act now to stop loss of life. U.S. leaders have the massive power to step in and stop this. And the time is NOW to come together and demand that it end. The people of Palestine and Israel deserve to live their lives without fear of violence and mass death.