Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. What does a ceasefire look like, to a Palestinian?
By Jenin Hattab
“I was filled with joy for the first time since October 8th,” Sofia Sinnokrot, an independent Palestinian Youth Organizer, and Chicago citizen said with much emphasis. The Chicago City Council has passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, causing it to become the largest city in America to take action. Sinnokrot attended the Jan 31 City Council meeting.
On Wednesday, Feb 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s latest proposal for a ceasefire and return of hostages in Gaza. They are rejecting it because Hamas wants Israel to leave Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. A ceasefire in my eyes, as a Palestinian, looks like Gaza being freed from Israeli occupation. Each one of us has power, and a choice to make, will you stand up against this injustice, or stay silent?
(Palestinian Women arguing with Israeli soldiers in 1987. The war did not start on October 7, 2023. Photo Credit: Large Norwegian Lexicon, Gaza’s History)
Sinnokrot had to take a full day off work to attend and show her support, though she did not mind. “It made me so happy to see our collective efforts of shifting opinions finally come to fruition. I am so proud of every single person who spent countless hours mobilizing aldermen and attending City Hall meetings” said Sinnokrot.
Sinnokrot and her friends were at City Hall bright and early at 7 am. They immediately felt something was off, being mistreated for being pro-Palestine, and this wasn’t the first time. She added “at City Hall, it seems like they make up the rules on the spot. At one point, a police officer singled out a pro-Palestine supporter by using his body as a blockade between us as we were trying to get to the elevator to go up to the chambers when it was our turn next in line.”
This is not the first time authorities abused their power. Around 7,000 Palestinians are in prison, many of whom are minors or activists. Nearly 2,900 of those detainees are held without trial. Another authority figure is the United States. The U.S. recognizes Israel as a country and has continued to give them aid and support. Israel has been the largest cumulative receiver of U.S. foreign aid since its existence, receiving about $300 billion in total economic and military grants.
The vote was tied 23 to 23, and the remaining vote was for Mayor Brandon Johnson. During his campaign, he was very pro-Palestine- and now was the time to put that to the test. Mayor Johnson stood by his word and cast the tie-breaking vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. “After Chicago called for a ceasefire, we hit the streets in celebration knowing that we still have so much more work to do. The win gave our community the positive energy we needed,” Sinnokrot added.
(Two men celebrating Chicago’s decision to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Photo credit: Laila Zayed)
The Palestinian genocide has reached 130+ days. As the world watched, Gaza has been living in hell. 2.8 million people do not have food security, and over 300,000 are starving. How are they starving if there is aid going in from Egypt? Israeli citizens sit in front of the aid trucks, blocking them from entering Gaza.
Can't people just leave and go to Egypt? Gazans have to pay $10,000 to enter Egypt for safety. Their homes have been bombed and are only traveling with the clothes on their back. As everyone watches social media or the news, feeling powerless, they go crazy about how they can help. Where are the people in power who are responsible for keeping Palestine alive?
On December 12, 2023, the United Nations voted on a resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. 153 countries including U.S. allies Canada and Japan called in favor of a cease-fire. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began a six-day hearing of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine for the last 57 years. How much longer until a ceasefire?
Within these last four months, Israel has bombed, targeted, and destroyed everything starting from Northern Gaza, to Rafah. At the beginning of the war, Palestinians were told to seek refuge in Khan Yunis, where many refugees lived in tents. 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Now, hundreds of buildings in rubble, a ghost town, echo fill the air where Palestinian families once shared laughs. Now the families are dead under the rubble.
(A map showing Israeli Military Occupation, around Gaza. Indicating that Gazas are not able to flee to safety. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, October 2023 Gaza−Israel conflict)
In Northern Gaza, humanitarian aid trucks roll in, with thousands of people gathered and waiting to receive food and water. Israel opened fire, and tanks rolled in. Starving people are running for their lives, one direction of fleeing the gun spots, and another getting limited aid.
Many reflect on how Israel can do all this, and how they take possession without any consequences. The world was fed lies, that 'Palestine was a place without people'. Palestine is home to nearly 14.3 million people all around the world. The resistance of the Palestinian people runs in their blood, and generations and will be more powerful than any Israeli tank, gun, or soldier.
Jenin Hattab is a freshman staff reporter of Palestinian heritage.
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