Washington, DC  - Americans for Peace Now (APN) strongly condemns the launch of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli civilian areas, mourns the deaths of at least 10 civilians in Gaza after ongoing Israeli airstrikes and urges all the parties and stakeholders to take action to prevent further bloodshed.

We are heartbroken for the families in Gaza who have lost loved ones and for the countless more families in Israel and in Gaza who are living in fear of the next air raid or rocket strike. The psychological devastation of this perpetual cycle of violence can not be overstated.

APN urges all parties to the conflict – Israel, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank – to do their utmost to prevent further deterioration and to avoid another disastrous war. The solution to the Israel-Gaza crisis, and, indeed, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, should be pursued and reached through diplomacy rather than through violence.