By a unanimous vote on Tuesday night, the Madison City Council passed a symbolic resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, joining the ranks of other local governments throughout the United States demanding an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The resolution calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urgent political action to both de-escalate the crisis and to prioritize truth, reconciliation, restitution and the building of a future for the Palestinian and Israeli people.”

Ald. Nasra Wehelie, who is the author of the resolution, said that the Common Council received over 200 emails and 600 registrants in support of the resolution at the Tuesday meeting and their messages were overwhelmingly concerned with the fact that our tax dollars are used by Israel to kill innocent civilians in Gaza.

“Since October 7th, over 1,100 Israelis, including children, and 16,000 Palestinians have been killed. The statistics are incredibly disturbing as over 6,000 children have been killed in Gaza, millions have been displaced and thousands are still missing under the rubble,” said Wehelie, who represents Madison’s Southwest Side, in a statement.

“With the cold winter approaching, this death toll is expected to increase due to starvation and illness and lack of humanitarian aid. The collective punishment of a civilian population is against international law and we cannot allow innocent civilians in Gaza to be collateral damage in Israel’s bombings. As a mother and a community member who worked with youth, the imagery of children in Gaza has been nothing short of horrifying.”