The legislation, offered by District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife, calls on Congress to demand "an immediate ceasefire; release of all hostages, (and) the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza."
The resolution avoids specifics, such as the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis, or Israel's retaliatory siege, bombardment and invasion of Gaza.
The Oakland document notes that "over 1,000 people in Israel and more than 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in a matter of weeks" without assigning responsibility.
It "recognizes that the current crisis takes place within a long history" and affirms that "the root causes of the crisis need to be addressed" without saying what those are, or what should be done.
The resolution says children made up more than five thousand Palestinian deaths.
Fife wrote in a Nov. 10 letter to fellow council members – and two other government bodies she serves on – the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Alameda County Transportation Commission, that: "Regardless of where you stand on the issue, one cannot deny that the loss of life of innocent children is a failure of humanity that must end today,"
The special City Council session will be held this afternoon at four o'clock at Oakland City Hall.
