More than 200 people gather in Santa Rosa to call for cease-fire in Gaza

More than 200 people gathered Sunday in Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa to urge local congressional leaders to demand the Israeli government order a cease-fire in Gaza, stopping the ongoing military action which began in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

As they have for the previous three Sundays, demonstrators carried signs and chanted in protest of the airstrikes on Gaza and called for the U.S. to stop sending funds to Israel in support of the continued bombings.

They also demanded, “safe passage for humanitarian aid like food, water, and medical supplies into Gaza,” according to a news release from the organizers of the rally.

The demonstration was put together by individuals associated with Jewish Voice for Peace and supported by North Coast Coalition for Palestine.

Therese Mughannam-Walrath, who is Palestinian and a member of the North Coast Coalition for Palestine, said the focus of this Sunday’s efforts was the call for a cease-fire.

“That's what we need to happen immediately,” she said.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, most of them in the Hamas attack, which has been called Israel’s 9/11. The Oct. 7 terrorist attack began when Hamas militants slipped into southern Israel and launched a series of bloody, coordinated attacks on civilians, burning homes, killing families and taking hostages.

The Associated Press is reporting more than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war. According to other media reports, the overall death toll in Gaza has reached more than 9,000.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry on Sunday claimed the number was more than 9,400.

During Sunday’s rally in downtown Santa Rosa, attendees were encouraged to write letters to U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, urging them to advocate for a cease-fire. Organizers provided paper, a dry place to write under a tent and a list of key points to include in their correspondence, Mughannam-Walrath said.

It was at least the second week that letter-writing materials were set out.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday during a visit to Jordan that he did not support a cease-fire and that the U.S. has identified concrete steps for Israel to minimize civilian casualties.

The same day, hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents turned out for pro-Palestine demonstrations across the country, including in Washington D.C.

“Sunday’s rally represents the concerned citizens of Sonoma County coming together to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and demand an end to the devastating violence and humanitarian crisis,” according to the news release from organizers of the Santa Rosa demonstration. “It is a call for peace that is rooted in dignity and justice.”

The group will continue to meet Sundays in the square, “until the bombing stops,” Mughannam-Walrath said.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.