Friend — Today is a somber day.

Two years ago today, Hamas attacked Israel in a senseless crime against humanity. The horrific violence against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who were killed and taken hostage by Hamas was absolutely unconscionable. But what followed surprised even longtime observers of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

Since then, Israel unleashed complete hell on Gaza, and to this day the death and destruction has not stopped.

The Gaza strip has been flattened. Some reports estimate that over 180,000 Palestinians have died. The Israeli Defense Forces admit themselves that almost 90% of those deaths were civilians. A vast majority of homes and buildings have been destroyed. They’ve systematically starved millions of civilians and killed hundreds of those who sought humanitarian aid.

We’ve seen little kids killed by sniper rounds to the head. We’ve seen people crushed to death underneath rubble and bulldozers. We’ve seen tanks and machine guns fire upon crowds. We’ve seen innocent people taken prisoner and tortured. We’ve seen aid workers, doctors, and EMTs deliberately targeted by airstrikes. We’ve seen newborn babies die in hospital beds.

What Israel has done in Gaza is a genocide. A crime against humanity of the highest order.

Human rights organizations agree. Experts and scholars agree. The United Nations agrees. It’s a genocide, and it must finally come to an end.

And more than that, the rights and dignity of Palestinians must finally be secured. That means putting a stop to the ever-expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, enforced through violent mob attacks. It means ending the Israeli blockade and occupation of Gaza. It means recognizing statehood for Palestine and ensuring civil governance without Israeli interference.

Yes, it’s a long list of goals. It will take time. But history didn’t begin on October 7th, 2023.

For decades, the Palestinian people have suffered at the hands of Israeli domination. The world is finally coming to understand that the Gaza genocide is merely the deadliest extension of Israel’s occupation — and leaders like Netanyahu have made it clear that the ultimate goal is the full Israeli annexation of Palestine, with Donald Trump’s support. It must be stopped.

In the last two years we have seen a sea-change in public opinion on this issue in the US. Americans have seen the genocide live-streamed to their social media feeds. They have seen the death and destruction being carried out with our government’s support and our tax dollars, and they have long had enough.

Our movement grows larger every day, in the US and around the world, despite attempts by leaders like Trump to stifle free speech and crackdown on any and all advocacy. From marches to music festivals to town halls to everyday conversations, the signs are everywhere that the people are crying out for an end to the suffering and freedom for Palestine. The Israeli government has lost the argument with their cruelty, and lost the support of the entire world as a result.

I have been a consistent leader in Congress on ending US aid to Israel, securing a lasting ceasefire, and putting in place a path forward to rebuild Gaza under Palestinian sovereignty. We’ve made progress in growing our coalition in Congress, but more needs to be done.

So today, on this somber anniversary, I am asking you to join me in standing up for Palestine, and to help me put pressure on my colleagues in Congress to take action.

Sign on to my petition today calling for Congress to block any further US aid to Israel and to ensure that any ceasefire agreement allows for the peace, security, and self-determination of Palestinians. These two years of torment and destruction must come to an end. The entire world has a responsibility to act in this moment.

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To the people of Gaza: your strength and resilience has inspired the world. Your suffering has not been ignored or forgotten. We are with you, and I promise to continue to do everything in my power to end this genocide.

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar