According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll in Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 4,600, with more than 14,000 people have been wounded.
With the death toll rising, thousands took to downtown Cleveland, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and to stop all escalations and allow for immediate humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
"We are looking for the world to understand what the Palestinian people are going through, what the people in Gaza are going through. The innocent lives, the innocent lives of our children. We are just looking for a ceasefire to let things die down. We need our people to get aid. We need our people to just feel like they can get a break and just survive at this point," said demonstrator Tarek Muhammad.
In a letter to the community, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland had this to say:
The grief, devastation, hurt, and anger we feel is palpable and visible. While our Israeli family – still reeling from the most atrocious of terror attacks – is now embroiled in a war against terror, we in Cleveland have our own fight.
We need to engage in conversations with our friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues about Hamas.
A spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health said during the past 24 hours, 266 people had been killed, including 117 children.
"Our voices need to be heard, and our lives need to be valued. Palestinian lives need to be valued," said Jacob Saliba, co-executive director of the Arab American Voter Project
Find the full letter from the Jewish Federation here.
