10 protesters pushing for ceasefire in Israel arrested outside Sen. Mark Kelly's office

About 50 people gathered for a sit-down protest at Sen. Mark Kelly's office in Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon, urging for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestinian territories.

Before media were instructed to leave by the office building's security, the crowd consisted primarily of members of the Palestinian American community. However, there were also a few members of the Jewish community and individuals from diverse backgrounds present at the protest.

People held signs that read "Stay attentive. Cease fire now," "Bombing children is not self defense," and "Stop war! End violence! Start Healing!"

District 8 Rep. Athena Salman, who is a Palestinian-American, joined the protest on Tuesday afternoon to elevate the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"It's absolutely a catastrophe, what is happening to Palestinians," Salman said. "11,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes, about half of them are children. Israel has held them under siege and rid them of any electricity, water, food and medicine."

Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization have assessed the conditions of hospitals in Gaza City as perilous. Israeli ground forces and militants have bombed and blockaded these facilities, contributing to a precarious situation as the conflict continues to escalate.

Salman said she has family members in the West Bank who were safe as of Tuesday but said she was worried about them as violent actions increase in the West Bank and not only in Gaza, according to her.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in violence toward Palestinians in the West Bank, specifically by Israeli settlers," Salman said. "My family, they are at risk of that violence and persecution as well."

Salman mentioned that the protesters spoke with State Director Luis Heredia at Kelly's office, requesting him to connect them with the senator via a phone call, as the senator is currently in Washington, D.C.

Salman added she hoped Kelly would listen to their plea.

"Senator Mark Kelly is someone that many of us have supported and voted for, and he also has a reputation of hearing and listening to his constituents," Salma said. "We're here to urge the senator to join this calling and join the millions of global citizens to call for a ceasefire and save both Palestinian and Israeli lives."

Kai Newkirk, the protest organizer, stated that community members and protesters were hoping to speak with Sen. Kelly by the end of the day on Tuesday, as many were not planning to leave the facility until then.

"We have to seek the only solution to this conflict and this crisis, which is a negotiated political settlement," Newkirk said. "Some of us have been here peacefully, nonviolently sitting and we're not going to leave until the senator joins the call for a ceasefire now."

On Tuesday afternoon, 10 protesters were arrested by Phoenix police after refusing to leave the senator's office.

According to police, Phoenix officers spoke with representatives from the property and the group’s coordinators and designated an area where the group could "continue their activity without interfering the daily business of the property," police said in a statement obtained by The Arizona Republic on Wednesday.

Police said the majority of people holding the demonstration moved to the area designated by police, except for 10 people who did not leave and were subsequently arrested, police said.

The 10 protesters were cited for trespassing and released after being processed, police said.

"The Phoenix Police Department is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all members of the community to peacefully assemble and exercise free speech," the Police Department added in the statement.

Newkirk also said a ceasefire is being petitioned by both Israelis and Palestinians.

"There are Israeli Jews and Arabs in Israel right now who are protesting, being arrested, calling for a ceasefire, calling for the release of the hostages," he said. "We're united with them. We're united with people all across the world who are calling for a ceasefire."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Protesters urge Sen. Mark Kelly to call for a ceasefire in Israel