CLEVELAND — After months of protests, interruptions, and unrest at meetings, Cleveland City Council has passed a resolution sponsored by all members calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The action comes on the same day the United Nations Security Council passed its own resolution calling for a cease-fire in the conflict, as well as for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed more than 1,100 people (mostly civilians). In a statement released following Monday's meeting, City Council noted that its measure contained the following declarations:
"This Council condemns the attacks in Israel on October 7th that lead to the loss of Israeli and American lives and the taking of hundreds of hostages.
"This Council and Clevelanders of all faiths and backgrounds have expressed profound concern for the innocent civilians suffering and are alarmed by the loss of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian and American lives due to the war in Gaza; further this Council calls for international aid to go immediately and directly to the people of Gaza.
"Council supports all efforts to resolve the tragic conflict in Gaza and further supports the Resolution adopted by the UN Security Council that calls for a halt to the fighting in Gaza and for the release of all hostages taken captive on October 7th."
The passage of this resolution follows months of protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Council meetings, with activists using the public comment portion of gatherings to condemn Israel and call on legislators to endorse a cease-fire. Chanting from the gallery often disrupted official business and in one case even cut a meeting short, leading to new rules for public comment as well as updated protocols for interruptions of meetings.
More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but claims women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
You can read City Council's full resolution below: