Dear Prime Minister Elect, Christopher Luxon,

We all deserve to live in a world free of violence, where we can put our children to bed at night knowing they’ll wake up safely the next day.

But right now in Gaza, the lives of over two million people, half of them children, are at risk.

The four-day humanitarian pause will bring a brief respite, but halting the fighting for a matter of days is nowhere near enough to address the catastrophic suffering or relieve the horrifying harm to civilians. There must be a sustained ceasefire.

The intensified siege of Gaza has cut off essential supplies including water, food, medical supplies and fuel to people in desperate need. This, with bombardment over many weeks, has brought about the intense suffering of millions of Palestinian people.

More than 14,000 people, including 5,500 children, have been killed in Gaza. Over 1,200 people were killed during the attacks in Israel on 7 October.

Throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, thousands of people have taken action to show that they are deeply concerned about the violence taking place in Gaza, with a recent poll showing that the majority of people support the call for an immediate ceasefire.

We often feel like a small group of islands at the bottom of the world. But we have always been bigger than that. We have led the way on social issues throughout history - and when we stand on the side of justice - we all benefit. Our country can support an end to the violence. We are calling on you to be the leader that the world needs right now, and call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire.

Don’t wait any longer to do the right thing. Don’t wait any longer to call for a sustained ceasefire.

Signed,

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, ActionStation, Save the Children New Zealand

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