Candlelight vigil held to honor victims of Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The original version of this article contained information that was unclear and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information. About 50 people gathered for a candlelight vigil by Meyerhoff Park on Tuesday night to commemorate those who lost their lives in the recent attacks between Israel and Hamas. One by one, speakers read off the names of more than a thousand Palestinian and Israeli civilians who have lost their lives since the attacks began on July 8. The participants stood still in a circle amid the silence and darkness, each holding a small candle as the names were read. The most recent attacks in the conflict between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for eight years and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., and Israel have gone on for more than 40 days. As of Monday morning, more than 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis, including both civilians and members of the military, have been killed since the beginning of the attacks, according to the Associated Press. Heba Abulebda, a fifth-year electrical engineering student who is Palestinian, was one of the speakers who read off names at the vigil. As she read the names, a tear rolled down her face. “Reading those names made me think about our family,” Abulebda said. “Those names connect to a lot of names I know.” She said she appreciated seeing members from different student groups stand in solidarity with Palestinians. “Civilians are not involved in the battlefield and (are) not signing themselves up to be killed,” said Ayesha Khan, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, which organized Tuesday’s vigil. Members of more than a dozen cultural groups on campus came to the vigil to voice their sympathy for Palestinians, who constitute the majority of the civilians killed and who remain under blockade, with heavy movement and trade restrictions in the Gaza Strip. Those who spoke at the event said they think the blockade has restricted the rights of Palestinians. The vigil followed a presentation session in the Student Activities Center in which members of different student groups shared experiences of oppression they perceived in their communities and how they believe those experiences relate to those of the Palestinian people. Members of the Afrikan Student Union said one of those struggles is dealing with what they call a militarized police force in the U.S., referencing the recent protests in Ferguson, Mo. They compared the matter to the treatment of African refugees in Israel, saying that thousands of them remain detained in detention centers as they seek asylum. “We are consistently oppressed with many different systemic attacks,” said Kateisha Menefield, a fourth-year African American studies student and a chair of the group. “People are oppressed for protesting (against) what is a devaluing of black lives.” The session in the Student Activities Center went on for more than two hours, as about 50 students and alumni sat to listen. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was interrupted Tuesday when Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel and prompted Israeli airstrikes in response, according to Reuters. Clarification: The ceasefire was broken Tuesday when Palestinian militants launched rockets at Israel.