Long Beach City Council approves proclamation supporting ceasefire in Gaza

Iman Palm
·1 min read
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Long Beach City Council officials formally approved a proclamation calling on the federal government to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The city joins a growing list of California cities that have approved similar measures.

The council voted 5-2 in favor of the proclamation following hours of public comment from nearly 200 people, according to the Press-Telegram. The publication stated that mostly pro-Palestine speakers spoke at the meeting.

However, some Long Beach residents who attended the meeting didn’t support Long Beach “telling an independent free country how to defend itself.”

Israel uncovers major Hamas command center in Gaza City as cease-fire talks gain momentum

The proclamation was introduced by council members Joni Ricks-Oddie, Roberto Uranga and Al Austin.

Before the formal approval, the Long Beach Community United for Peace, a group representing the “Palestinian Community in unity with Muslim, Christian and Jewish allies and supporters from various backgrounds,” started a petition calling for the city to support calls for a ceasefire.

About 2,400 people signed the petition.

Other California cities, such as Cudahy, Richmond and Oakland, have also crafted local ordinances calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

What to know in the latest Israel-Hamas war

On Oct. 7, dozens of Hamas militants broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli towns, taking hostages and leaving thousands dead, the Associated Press reported.

More than 10,500 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have died a month after the surprise attacks, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Israeli officials say thousands of Palestinian militants have been killed and blame civilian deaths on Hamas. More than 1,400 people have died in Israel since the start of the war, most of them civilians killed by Hamas militants, according to the Associated Press.

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