IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN ISRAEL-GAZA

The United Nations has warned that Palestinians are in grave danger of ethnic cleansing and has said a ceasefire must be urgently agreed, before we reach the point of no return.  

As American citizens, we are devastated by the killing of innocent lives of those in Israel at the hands of Hamas and of those in Gaza by the Israeli military. Deliberate killing of civilians, hostage taking and collective punishment are war crimes under international humanitarian law and should be condemned. 

However, no injustice can justify another and we are gravely concerned at the escalation of violence in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, where there are 2.2 million people trapped, half of whom are under 18, amid ongoing airstrikes and a siege that has cut off access to supplies of food, clean water, medical supplies, communications, humanitarian aid and fuel. People remain with little access to health services, shelter or a safe place to go. More than a million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.

The UN has warned that fuel reserves at Gaza hospitals are expected to last about 24 more hours.

“The bodies are piled up outside the morgue, they’ve run out of space. When you drive past destroyed buildings, the stench of decaying bodies is very prominent.” – Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, surgeon working in Gaza.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch confirmed that white phosphorous has been used in military operations by Israel in Gaza, which amounts to a war crime when used in populated areas as it can ‘burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians’.

Most recently, Israel has ordered the evacuation of 1 million people living in North Gaza in 24 hours, a move which has been condemned by the United Nations as a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ with the WHO calling this a ‘death sentence’ for the sick. Since then, the BBC has confirmed that airstrikes have hit those fleeing the north of Gaza.

Innocent men, women and children should not pay the price in conflict and the United States should not be supporting ongoing violations of international law.

Urgent action must be taken now to prevent an impending genocide of the Palestinian people.

We, the undersigned, call upon the American government, President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to do everything in their power to mediate and call on the Government of Israel to put in place an immediate ceasefire and to ensure innocent civilians are protected.

International humanitarian law should be respected including an end to the blockade of Gaza and collective punishment. 

The United Nations has warned that Palestinians are in grave danger of ethnic cleansing and has said a ceasefire must be urgently agreed, before we reach the point of no return. 

In addition, we call upon the American government to call for a humanitarian corridor to be established to allow essential and life-saving medical supplies, food, water and fuel into Gaza.

The American government must act now, before it is too late.