1. United States
2. Conn.
3. Letter

Israel has killed at least 17,400 children in Gaza, including 1,720 babies under the age of 2. A child is killed by Israel every 45 minutes.825 babies have been killed before their first birthday  3,266 preschoolers killed between the ages of 2 and 54,032 primary schoolers in Gaza—children between 6 and 10 years old. We know from first-hand witness accounts, including from journalists and medical staff, that Israel has specifically targeted and killed children in Gaza. Numerous cases have been documented of Israeli forces deliberately shooting children, including shooting children in the head with snipers while searching for food, gunning down children from helicopters, and with quadcopters while playing in schoolyards. Israel’s decimation of hospitals and the healthcare system makes the treatment and survival of wounds from any attacks near impossible. Israel has also damaged or destroyed 90% of schools in Gaza, rendering them inoperable. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education has stated that schools were repeatedly attacked even after being turned into shelters for civilians. Israel’s killing of children is systematic and in line with acts of genocide under the Geneva Convention. According to the United Nations: Israel is “deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians as a group.” This is extermination. You must stand up to these crimes against humanity. Normalization with Israel must end and the protection of the Palestinian people is paramount. Sanctions against other states have proven effective in halting egregious human rights abuses; they must be applied here. A two-way trade and arms embargo and an end to diplomatic relations with the apartheid state is essential. We must recognise a Palestinian state immediately to commit to a lasting peace and an end to the illegal occupation. This is a call for international law to be upheld and basic human rights for all to be protected.