The Buffalo Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace is calling for an end to the violence in Gaza. Members delivered the message to Sen. Chuck Schumer at his Buffalo office Monday.
"We mourn for the Palestinian and Israeli civilians killed," their letter to Sen. Schumer read, "and we continue to fight with everything we have for the living. There is no justification in international law for the targeting of civilians or the holding of civilian hostages. That was true when Hamas attacked Israeli civilians. We must apply that same standard to the Israeli military."
The group says there is no justification for the attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas, but adds that same standard must be held for the Israeli military.
Members also took to the streets to call for a ceasefire with banners emblazoned with the phrase "Ceasefire Now" visible on area roadways.
Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 700 people in the past day, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said Tuesday.
Israel has been bombing Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7. That has brought the death toll from the war to 5,791, including 2,360 children, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement. At least 16,297 others were wounded, he said.