Amidst the deafening sounds of bombs, a chilling reality persists in the Palestinians’ quest for human rights (1). Palestinians’ freedom has been shackled by decades of oppression, statelessness, international ambiguity, and the haunting echoes of a people yearning to be heard (2). As the world watches Israel’s disproportionate and ongoing bombardment of Gaza, initiated in response to the appalling Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a stark question lingers, how can we continue to look away from these appalling truths (3)? We cannot.

The disproportionate loss of over 27,000 Palestinian lives, including more than 12,100 women and 8,300 children, along with 67,000 injured and 7,000 missing under the rubble, points to clear violations of international conflict law intended to protect civilians (4). Additionally, the majority of all homes and buildings, including hospitals, schools, and even refugee centers have been destroyed, leaving 1.8 million vulnerable Gazans homeless, which is equivalent to 78% of Houston's population (5, 6). These heart-wrenching statistics highlight the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza that deepens each day. More than 500,000 Palestinians are starving (7). The collapse of the healthcare system has resulted in horrifying outcomes, with nearly 1,000 children undergoing limb amputations without anesthesia and a 300% increase in miscarriages (8, 9). The crisis in Gaza has reached a critical point that demands our immediate attention and action.  We call for a permanent humanitarian ceasefire as the first crucial step towards ending the devastating cycle of violence and achieving lasting peace.

As Houstonians, it is imperative that we stand behind our values and stand up for the principles of justice and human rights. We unite in demanding a permanent humanitarian ceasefire. With this petition and the many signatures it has garnered, we ask our local government officials to join us in our plea for humanity. Together, let us recognize the urgent need to address the staggering human toll and humanitarian catastrophe unfolding amongst the Palestinian people. Let us stand united in the pursuit of a just and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Gaza. 

1. United Nations, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations,” n.d., https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

2. Omar Shakir, “A Threshold Crossed,” Human Rights Watch, March 28, 2023, https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution

3. “Proportionality | How Does Law Protect in War? - Online Casebook,” n.d., https://casebook.icrc.org/a_to_z/glossary/proportionality#:~:text=The%20principle%20of%20proportionality%20prohibits,and%20direct%20military%20advantage%20anticipated%E2%80%9D

4. AJLabs, “Israel-Gaza War in Maps and Charts: Live Tracker,” Al Jazeera, February 12, 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker

5. “Desperation Intensifies in Gaza Amid Uncertainty of ‘Safe Zones,’” UN News, December 6, 2023, https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144387

6. “Houston - Place Explorer - Data Commons,” n.d., https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4835000?utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&hl=en

7. Najib Jobain, Jack Jeffery, and Colleen Barry, “Over 570K People in Gaza Starving Due to War Fallout: UN Report  | AP News,” AP News, December 22, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-21-2023-7d9718b32bf0d308c44c7c9e3c4e0deb

8. Heba Farouk Mahfouz and Loveday Morris, “A Kitchen Table Amputation Without Anesthetic in Gaza Is One of Many,” Washington Post, January 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/20/gaza-healthcare-crisis-amputation-anesthesia/

9. Sharon Zhang, “Miscarriages in Gaza Have Skyrocketed by 300 Percent Under Israel’s Siege,” Truthout, January 18, 2024, https://truthout.org/articles/miscarriages-in-gaza-have-skyrocketed-by-300-percent-under-israels-siege/