'Nothing good can come of this': Gaza ceasefire rally points finger at Indiana senators

Palestinian flags were waved and shouts of "Free free Palestine" could be heard as a crowd marched down Illinois Street around 8 a.m. Monday.

Many in the group were wearing keffiyehs, a scarf that represents Palestinian solidarity, liberation and freedom, and carried signs expressing their disgust with the violence in the Middle East.

Jewish Voice for Peace-Indiana and the Middle Eastern Student Association at IUPUI organized the rally to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas War has been waging since the beginning of October and has evolved into a humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations warned in a December report that half of Gaza residents are at risk of starving. Hostilities have "caused catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity across the Gaza Strip," the report said.

Elizabeth Valencia, a multicultural community ministry partner at All Souls Unitarian Church, has been advocating for Palestinians since she was a teenager, but the cause hits even closer to home now.

"I'm a mother of Palestinian Mexican children and we have family in Gaza who have been dying," she said.

Malkah Bird is an organizer of the rally with Indiana's chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

"As Jewish and Palestinians and allies we're here to say that we don't want our tax dollars to be used to fund a genocide," Bird said. "We refuse to be silent while the U.S. is complicit in Israel's war crimes against the Palestinian people."

A crowd of about 30 people gathered at Monument Circle before marching a few blocks away to stand outside Sen. Todd Young's office.

Sen. Young voiced his support of Biden's request to send more aid to Israel at a panel in October. The U.S. has said for generations that Israel is a close friend and ally, so we need to help, he said.

More: Indiana Sen. Todd Young defends Biden aid request for Israel and Ukraine

Outside the office building, the group continued to grow into a crowd of roughly 60 people. They chanted "Todd Young you can't hide, we charge you with genocide."

A letter was also read by organizers of the rally addressing the conflict and the current conditions in Gaza. "Nothing good can come of this," the letter said.

"Our Indiana Senators, Young and (Mike) Braun know this, because they know the tolls of war. But they fail Israelis, Palestinians, and us," the letter read. "Instead of demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing, they argue – perversely – for more US tax dollars and weapons to be sent to Israel, and they tout the deployment of American troops to the region."

The letter was signed by over 30 different groups and organizations in Indiana including the hosts of the rally, the Indianapolis Liberation Center, Indy Healthcare Workers for Justice, ANSWER Indiana, and student groups from IUPUI, Butler, DePauw, IU, Purdue and Shortridge High School.

"This is a movement where we're asking for the liberation of Palestinian people, but it's also the community worldwide realizing all the ways that all communities have been oppressed," Valencia said. "We want freedom for everyone."

Katie Wiseman is a trending and breaking news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rally for ceasefire in Gaza at Indiana's capital