Congresswoman Delivered Floor Speech, Renewed Calls for Ceasefire and Arms Embargo, and Met with Families of Hostages

“While the United States Congress wrongly platformed a war criminal today, I was proud to platform the people.”

Floor Speech | Press Conference | Photos

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) spent the day centering people directly impacted by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed over 39,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis. Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech to share the story of a Palestinian family impacted by the war; renewed her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and offensive arms embargo; and met with Israeli hostage families. The Congresswoman did not attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address.

“While the United States Congress wrongly platformed a war criminal today, I was proud to platform the people: the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed, the Israeli hostages, their families, and everyone impacted by this catastrophic conflict. We must not lose sight of our shared humanity because our destinies are tied.

“Every action we take in this moment – through policy and platform – must be in pursuit of saving lives, protecting human rights, and bringing about a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. And our actions must always be informed by the experiences of those directly impacted.

“That’s why I continue to urge Congress and the White House to enforce U.S. law, push for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and deliver life-saving humanitarian aid, and enact an immediate offensive arms embargo to prevent further death and destruction in Gaza. Peace is possible and our pro-humanity movement is strong,” said Congresswoman Pressley in a statement today.

Congresswoman Pressley began the day by delivering remarks on the House floor to share the story of Sara, a Palestinian teenager who was severely burned in an Israeli airstrike that killed her two younger brothers. Sara and her mother are currently in the US seeking the medical treatment they could not access for over a month as her family was trapped in Gaza and denied medical care.

“No child should ever have to endure this brutality… What have we as a nation done supplying bombs that maim and murder babies? Where is our humanity? Sara, I will carry you and your family with me always and I will press for peace in your name,” said Congresswoman Pressley in her floor speech. The full video of Rep. Pressley’s floor speech can be found here.

Congresswoman Pressley later joined colleagues and advocates for a virtual press conference to reject Netanyahu and reiterate the moral call for an immediate offensive arms embargo to achieve a permanent ceasefire and save lives. Joining Congresswoman Pressley at the press conference were Reps. Greg Casar, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Delia Ramirez, and advocates from the Uncommitted National Movement, Indivisible, Working Families Party, and former Biden Administration officials.The full video of Rep. Pressley’s remarks can be found here.

Congresswoman Pressley also joined colleagues for a listening session with the families of Israeli hostages whose loved ones have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings. The families in attendance were Maya Roman, the cousin of Yarden Roman and sister-in-law of Carmel Gat; Efrat Machikawa, the niece of Gadi Moses; and Zahiro Shahar Mor, the nephew of Avraham Munder. Also in attendance was Zahiro’s son Leo, a 10-year-old Israeli boy to whom Rep. Pressley gave her ticket to attend Netanyahu’s speech. The meeting was hosted by Reps. Jim Clyburn, James P. McGovern, Mark Takako, Rosa DeLauro, and Jamie Raskin. Photos from the meeting can be found here.

“I want to thank the Representatives for having us here… Congresswoman Pressley is one of the people who has been most concerned with the trauma, not just of what happened to us but of sharing it, and that really stayed with me,” said Maya Roman.

Since the horrific October 7^th attack, Congresswoman Pressley has consistently and stridently called for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and surge humanitarian aid to Gaza. To date, over 39,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and over 100 hostages are still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East and renewed her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel to prevent a broader regional war. Rep. Pressley has also introduced an amendment to place a one-year moratorium on the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli military. 

Throughout the Israel and Hamas conflict, Rep. Pressley has been a vocal and consistent advocate of diplomacy, de-escalation, and saving lives.

• Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and their colleagues on a resolution condemning Hamas’ brutal attack and hostage-taking, and demanding Hamas immediately release all hostages.
• Rep. Pressley joined Reps. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), James P. McGovern (MA-02), and 50 colleagues on a letter condemning the terrorist attacks by Hamas on the people of Israel, calling for Israeli military operations to follow the rules of international humanitarian law, and continuing to work toward peace in the region.
• Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues in announcing a resolution urging the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, to send humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible. She later joined her colleagues and a multi-faith, multiracial coalition of faith leaders and organizers for a prayer and press conference to renew their calls for a ceasefire. Rep. Pressley also joined dozens of rabbis and Members of Congress for a press conference to renew calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she condemned antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate on college campuses.
• Rep. Pressley joined a coalition of nearly 100 interfaith clergy and faith leaders on a joint statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley joined Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and nearly 150 colleagues in urging the State Department to use all tools at its disposal help get Americans out of Israel and back home to the United States. She applauded the State Department for heeding her calls on October 12, 2023 and continues to press for the urgent evacuation of Americans in Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley issued a statement following the safe evacuation of Massachusetts constituents Wafaa and Abood Okal and their one-year-old Yousef from Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley and Rep. Jamie Raskin led a group of 60 House lawmakers in urging the State Department to affirm the United States’ strong opposition to the forced and permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and to support an increase in humanitarian aid to the region.
• Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Betty McCollum (MN-4) and 20 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden, asking him to support a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza to protect the one million children living there.
• Rep. Pressley joined a coalition of interfaith clergy and faith leaders for a vigil to mourn the tens of thousands of Palestinians, Israelis, and innocent civilians killed since October 7^th, and to renew calls for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and deliver humanitarian aid to the region.
• Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues at a press conference to condemn the Israeli government’s pending invasion of Rafah and continued her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues in calling for full funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide urgent humanitarian relief to Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Joaquín Castro, Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky and 33 House Democrats to President Biden urging him to prevent an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah.
• Rep. Pressley, amid heightened tensions in the region, delivered a floor speech in which she called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East and renewed her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent a broader regional war.
• Rep. Pressley filed a pair of amendments to increase funding to global humanitarian assistance and place a one-year moratorium on the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli military. The amendments were not adopted in the final legislation. 
• Rep. Pressley voted against HR 8034 to send more offensive weapons and funding to the Israeli military, citing the Israeli military’s callous disregard for human life in Gaza and significant human rights violations.
• Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the peaceful student protests taking place in Massachusetts and across the country.
• Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Boston City Council for passing a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and 54 additional lawmakers in calling on the Biden Administration to use all tools possible to dissuade the Israeli government from moving forward with an offensive invasion into Rafah.

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