KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Community groups representing some members of Knoxville's Jewish community, Muslim community and advocates for peace gathered in Market Square late Friday afternoon. At least 100 people showed up for the rally.
There, they stood together and called for an end to "the massacre and genocide" in Gaza. The United Nations said on Oct. 17 that around 4,200 people had been killed so far after Israel declared war against Hamas following a deadly attack. The UN also said more than a million people, half of Gaza's population, were displaced from their homes and large areas of the Gaza Strip had been reduced to rubble.
The UN said the death toll includes women, children, 11 Palestinian journalists, 28 medical staff and 14 UN colleagues. It also warned health facilities were hit by bombardment, making medical care harder to access for thousands of injured people in Gaza. Humanitarian aid for the Palestinian community was waiting to be delivered, the UN said, awaiting an agreement brokered by the U.S.
"I'm a Palestinian American. I grew up here in the states, in Tennessee. My whole family is in Palestine," said Miriam Atatrah, who attended the rally. "We have spent the past few weeks watching in despair as our people have been pulled from rubble."
The Local Alliance for Mideast Peace, the Muslim Community of Knoxville, the Knoxville Area Women in Black and the Jewish Voice for Peace - Knoxville gathered for an Emergency Rally to End the Massacre in Gaza starting at 6 p.m. There, they called for an end to the violence and to implement a ceasefire.
The Jewish Voice for Peace is described as a progressive, anti-Zionist advocacy group, and the Alliance for Middle East Peace is a coalition of Palestinian and Jewish organizations generally advocating for peace in the area. The Knoxville Area in Black is a local advocacy group that has spoken out for Palestine, and the Muslim Community of Knoxville works to bring together Muslims in the Knoxville area, connecting through a shared faith.
"Please join us as we stand with our people against the massacre and genocide unfolding in Gaza. Our people deserve to live and to be free," organizers said online.
The fighting began after Hamas, a militant group elected to power in Gaza during the mid-2000s, launched an attack against Israel around the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. It was a death toll unseen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria.
The UN said in 2019 more than half of all people in Gaza were under 18 years old, indicating they were not able to vote for Hamas.
"Every time that I get a phone call or a text message from one of my family members in Palestine, my heart fills with fear that one of my family members has been killed by Israel. That is unfair," said Atatrah. "We are calling for a ceasefire immediately. We want and we need the bombs to stop dropping on the most dense and one of the most densely populated cities in the world."
The attack caught the Israeli military off guard and killed around 1,400 people. The following day, Oct. 8, Israel declared war against Hamas and began bombarding Gaza. The defense minister promised a ground invasion as water, electricity and food access was caught off for the area and a million people were ordered to evacuate by Israel.
"We have to step in, particularly as Jewish Americans to say that this violence cannot continue to be committed in our names," said Julie Elfin, a spokesperson for the Jewish Voice for Peace - Knoxville. "Do not support violence in Israel and Palestine. Do not support the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the blockade of Gaza. And we call for a ceasefire."
Most recently, President Joe Biden pledged U.S. support for Israel and asked legislators to approve a total of $105 billion in supplement funding for the war in the Gaza area and to support Ukrainian fighters.
Leaders also announced that two American hostages, a 17-year-old and her mother, were released by Hamas. They were among the around 200 people Hamas abducted on Oct. 7, following the attack.
The Emergency Rally to End the Massacre in Gaza started at 6 p.m. in Market Square, and lasted until around 7:30 p.m.
"We are human beings and we have fears, goals, hopes and dreams in life. And many of us are losing the opportunity to even fulfill those dreams," said Atatrah.