On August 18, 2025, Hamas accepted a 60-day ceasefire deal based on a framework drafted by Steve Witkoff and Netanyahu’s lead negotiator, Ron Dermer. Israel has yet to acknowledge Hamas' acceptance of the deal, and has instead continued their merciless bombing and starvation campaigns in Gaza. This critical piece of news has not made it into mainstream media in the United States, and in fact, the media and politicians continue to peddle lies that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire deal.

In addition, even as ceasefire negotiations continued in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, Israel attempted to assassinate the Hamas officials involved in those negotiations. How can Israel be serious about retrieving the hostages when they actively attempt to sabotage negotiations? As the mother of one of the hostages said, "it could be at this very moment that prime minister Netanyahu has essentially sentenced my son to death... why does the prime minister insist on blowing up every small chance for a deal?"

Meanwhile, in Gaza City, an evacuation order has been given for the nearly one million Palestinians remaining in the area. But where can they go? The evacuation order instructs Palestinians to the so-called "safe zone" of Al Mawasi, even though this area has also been bombed repeatedly. According to Gaza's government media office, the area has been targeted over 100 times and over 2000 Palestinians have been killed there. Residents of Gaza have no safe place to go. As one resident put it, "we are merely attempting to delay death a little longer."

The news out of Gaza continues to be catastrophic, which can dampen our spirit of resistance in the solidarity movement. Still, there are small victories every day. The Block the Bombs Act in congress continues to add more co-sponsors every week, and now has nearly 50 democratic representatives signed on. Recently, the International Society of Genocide Scholars, the largest professional organization of scholars studying genocide, have said that Israel is committing genocide. In Israel, a new cohort of young people are refusing to obey their draft orders. Boycott campaigns against Chevron and Palantir are gaining steam. And now, a UN inquiry into Israel's war has stated definitively that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. All of this should give us new fuel for our activism and advocacy.

If the people of Gaza can carry on, fighting for their survival amidst such barbaric policies of abject cruelty, then so must we. If the media is not willing or able to correct the narrative coming from the United States and Israel, then it falls to those of us who know the truth to use whatever platforms we have to change the narrative.

Do you have access to a pulpit? If so, have you preached about Gaza? Now is the time. Do you have a blog or online newsletter? Have your written about Gaza? Now is the time. Indeed, it is past time. The narrative has already changed dramatically in the last two years, but there is still so much more work yet to do, so many people we have yet to reach. Every one of us must do our part to address the most pressing moral issue of our. We must continue to shift the narrative, wherever we are, and however we can. Let's get to work!

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

UCC MPS Steering Committee Member