AFSC welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and a potential end to the genocide. For two years we have called for an end to Israeli attacks, the release of all people held captive, and full humanitarian access to Gaza. The agreement announced yesterday is a move towards achieving those goals.
Yet even as we embrace this agreement, we cannot pause our push for action, justice, and accountability. As a Quaker organization that believes in the light of each person, we hold true that all people have a right to self-determination.
The famine in Gaza remains, and it is urgent that aid enters immediately without restriction. The medical system remains destroyed, and without urgent action people will continue to die even if bombs are not falling. Over 90% of homes and schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, and action is needed to meet the needs of everyone who has been displaced. Tens of thousands of people are missing and presumed dead. A ceasefire is not the end of the violence. Israel has violated past ceasefire agreements, including in March of this year, and directly targeted the Palestinian negotiating team in Doha, Qatar one month ago. Until there is a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to occupation and Apartheid, the risk of resumed violence will remain.
Along with humanitarian aid workers, more journalists must enter Gaza, and the world must listen. Israel has prevented international journalists from entering Gaza for the last two years, while Israel has killed over 250 Palestinian journalists. Those responsible for this genocide must be held to account. The U.S. and other members of the international community must end all arms sales and take action to end their complicity in occupation, apartheid, and genocide. In the push for justice and self-determination, this is the start, not the end.
While the ceasefire is a step in the right direction, President Trump’s overall plan post-ceasefire is a dangerous one, which allows for Israeli and U.S. developers to take over and control Gaza. Under Trump’s plan, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair -- one of the leads of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq -- would be responsible for new leadership in Gaza. The rebuilding and authority of Gaza must not be in the hands of the US or UK leadership. We must continue to push for Palestinian self-determination.
American Friends Service Committee is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza. For additional comments, AFSC staff experts are available.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.