October 7 marks a horrific day in the decades long Israeli-Palestinian conflict when Hamas killed more than a thousand Israelis and took hundreds more hostage.
It also marks a catastrophic escalation of violence with Israeli forces killing over 40,000 Palestinians, displacing millions, detaining thousands and severely restricting much needed humanitarian aid, bringing intolerable suffering for women and children in Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon.
For the Palestinian mother grieving for her babies killed in Gaza and struggling to find food or shelter for her family,
For the Israeli mother grieving her loved ones and anxiously awaiting news of those held hostage,
And, for the sake of thousands who are injured, displaced and countless others whose lives have been shattered in this expanding war,
We cannot and MUST NOT be immune to their pain.
We desperately need this war to end NOW.
Our shared humanity compels us to reject the rhetoric of hate and violence and instead work together to rebuild women’s lives to secure a future of equality, security, and dignity for all.
