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3/15 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress

As of 3/15, approximately 31,500 – 40,000 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel in Gaza since 10/7. Gaza has been absolutely decimated. There is an estimated 23 million tons of debris and rubble, along with unexploded munitions littering the land. 2 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million total population is displaced. Half of Gaza’s population are children. The Gaza strip was already one of the most densely populated areas in the world – and now the southernmost area of Rafah is the most densely populated area in the entire world.

Due to the man-made famine – an intentional tool of genocide – food costs are up nearly 900% for staple goods like flour. Recent screening done by the UN shows that an alarming number of children under the age of 2 are in the “wasting” stage of starvation. The air drops of aid are beyond insufficient and unnecessarily costly – they are outright killing people either by failed parachutes or Israel bombing the people gathered to receive the aid. On 3/13, one of those aid drops damaged solar panels at the Baptist Hospital. The hospital has already been decimated by Israel and barely functioning. Instead of saving lives, that aid drop very well could have killed patients dependent on machine-assistance to survive.

There is no reason for costly air drops of insufficient aid, or for an entire sea port to be built to get help to the besieged people of Gaza. Withdraw financial, military, and diplomatic aid to Israel. Demand the thousands of aid trucks be let through all land borders. Immediately refund UNRWA.

I demand that you: 

– Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire

– Call for the immediate end of Israel’s occupation and apartheid and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom and peace

– Hold Israel accountable for their violations of the Genocide Convention and all other international laws by any means necessary

– Secure the immediate release and safety of all Palestinians who have been abducted and held captive by Israel, including those whose indefinite detention began prior to 10/7

– Permanently end all monetary, diplomatic, and military aid given to Israel and enforce Leahy Law

– Reallocate all funds given to Israel and commit additional resources for ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians starting with immediately resuming funding of UNRWA

– Immediately withdraw all U.S. troops, military assets, and all other assets deployed throughout the Middle East and cease all actions that further escalate a larger regional conflict

– Pass legislation that voids all anti-BDS laws at the federal level

– Restore my right to free speech and the freedom of the press by condemning all discrimination or harassment for criticizing any government or political ideology (including zionism) and by doing everything possible to prevent future assaults to my rights, including governmental control and/or censorship of the Internet, or by allowing H.R. 7521 to become law

SOURCES

Al Jazeera 3/15/24 Live Updates

NPR “Children make up nearly half of Gaza’s population. Here’s what it means for the war“

NPR “War has forced half of Gaza into Rafah. Palestinians there are at a breaking point“

Jacobin “Rafah May Prove the Most Dire Moment in Israel’s War on Gaza“

Palestinian Citizen Hossam Shabat @HossamShabat X post reporting 3/13/24 air drop damaged Baptist Hospital’s solar panels

For more on failed aid drops causing death, and Israel using them to bomb gatherings of people, see prior petitions “AID AIR DROPS USED TO TARGET PEOPLE WITH BOMBS – CEASEFIRE NOW“, “30 BILLION IN DESTRUCTION, LESS THAN 1 TRUCK OF AID – END THE GENOCIDE NOW“, and “AID OR OIL RIGS? BE SO FOR REAL. CEASEFIRE NOW.“

Estimated deaths as of 3/14 – 3/15 from multiple sources*

Al Jazeera quotes 31,490 dead as of 3/15/24. Al Jazeera always includes the most up-to-date official death tolls on their Breaking/live updates page. Because the daily live pages are refreshed so frequently for each new day, I can’t link you to a specific date. You can always check the Breaking/live section on their site for the most recent official numbers.

EuroMed Monitor quotes an estimated 40,042 dead shown on an infographic posted on their Instagram (link to post) as of 3/14/24. Their website has past infographics, but does not currently have this newest one included as of writing this blog post. This is not unusual- I believe they first post on social media and then add to the infographic section of their site later. Prior infographics posted on Instagram and then shown on their site have the exact same figures & data.

*Why are multiple sources used for the death count?

Associated Press “Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies“

The situation in Gaza has only gotten worse since the AP published this article on 11/21. The official numbers we are seeing from Gaza’s Ministry of Health are undercounted, and have been since at least 11/21.

EuroMed Monitor is a NGO established in 2011 that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region. They have a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. I believe their estimates are credible which is why I quote them, and will continue to, when referring to the estimated death toll.

My personal opinion is that the true number is even higher than estimated- people are dying from starvation, thirst, infections, and illnesses. Even if the genocide ended this moment, these types of deaths will unfortunately continue for some time. I believe their deaths should be counted. They may not have been shot/bombed/etc. by the Israeli military, but their deaths are directly attributable to the total siege, occupation, and intentional** destruction of civilian, water, waste management, and medical infrastructure by Israel.

**Why are you accusing Israel of intentionally destroying important infrastructure and targeting civilians?

It’s not an accusation. They’ve admitted to it.

The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“

972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“