Ceasefire called for by Congress in Israel-Palestine War

Since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the death toll on both sides has reached more than  4,400 people as of Tuesday. It is because of that bloodshed that several members of Congress are calling on the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire and to send humanitarian aid assistance to Gaza.

The resolution was introduced Oct. 16 by the former greater Riverdale U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velázquez, Ilhan Omar, and several other representatives.

“The events that have unfolded over the past week in Israel and Gaza are horrifying violations of human rights and international law that have resulted in the devastating loss of thousands of civilian lives,” Bowman said. “We must do everything in our power to end this ongoing violence. Our actions should proceed on the basis of recognizing our shared humanity, including rejecting violence in all forms and pursuing an urgent ceasefire and de-escalation so we can save civilian lives.”

Israeli authorities have said 1,400 people in Israel have died, with 3,400 injured. For Gaza more than 3,000 were killed, with 12,500 injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated. While Hamas has received a lot of heat for the atrocities and war crimes they’ve committed in Israel, that heat has also been directed at Israel.

“Human rights groups have put forward credible reports of white phosphorus being used in civilian areas — a war crime,” stated Rep. Omar.

“Electricity remains cut off, with many hospitals on the brink of collapse today. We must be clear: violence does not justify more violence. Killing innocent children and civilians will only exacerbate the violence we have seen, and do nothing to bring about a political solution.”

The World Health Organization and United Nations have also both called for a reversal of Israel’s evacuation order, which gave the 1.1 million Palestinians only 24 hours to evacuate. They stated that the Palestinian Ministry of Health informed them it would be impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients without endangering their lives. Israel’s invasion did end up getting delayed but only because of weather conditions, Israeli officials said.

The resolution has been endorsed by the New York Progressive Action Network. A similar resolution was introduced by Russia but was rejected by the United Nations Security Council.