Palo Alto group remembers children killed in Gaza

PALO ALTO, Calif. - At the corner of Town and Country Village shopping plaza in Palo Alto, dozens of people gathered on Sunday to show support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry says women and children make up two-thirds of those killed.  

"We’re talking about an extraordinary number of orphaned children, children who have lost their entire families, children who are now caretakers for their younger siblings. I’m a mother of four children. It’s incomprehensible to me," said Michelle Higgins, an organizer for Vigil for Gaza. 

The group said they’ve been meeting at this corner each Sunday for months trying to bring awareness to the suffering. The U.N. recently concluded that starvation in Gaza is imminent, and Israel may be committing war crimes.

"The pressure we’re putting on the government is actually working. This is the only reason they are turning now. Not out of compassion, not out of humanity, but because they’re afraid we won’t vote for them in November," said Emer Martin, a Vigil for Gaza supporter. 

Six months after the attacks, Israel says more than 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas and the Gaza Health Ministry says more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed. With no current deal or cease fire agreement on the table, analysts say there’s no end in sight to the fighting.  

"When we call for a ceasefire, we mean everybody should work to put down their arms and build towards a more peaceful coexistence that’s fair for both the Palestinians and the Israelis," said Yazan Mahaas, a Vigil for Gaza supporter and Palestinian American. 

The group says they’ll continue calling for a ceasefire here every Sunday until the violence stops.