Palestinians carry humanitarian aid from a World Food Program convoy that was heading to Gaza City on June 16, 2025. (File photo by Jehad Alshrafi/Associated Press)
I often do not sleep. But more and more, I cannot sleep.
I cannot close my eyes without seeing emaciated infants, starving children, and parents holding the lifeless bodies of their babies.
It has to stop.
662 nights ago, I was awake not because of war, but because of my own 6-week-old baby boy. I rocked him gently and listened to the horrific reports of Israeli babies being butchered by Hamas. I was terrified — haunted by the reality that the most precious thing in my life could be brutalized simply for being a Jew.
And within days, those reports were joined by images of children in Gaza killed by bombs. I read those stories with my son in my arms — days turning to weeks, then months — broken by the thought that anyone could justify the killing of babies.
I don’t know how I would have processed the tragedies of Oct. 7, 2023, and it aftermath if I weren’t a new parent. As much as I’ve always cared about human rights, nothing prepared me for the overwhelming, all-consuming love of being a father. It’s reshaped everything — then and now.
Babies are perfect. They are pure. And every one of them — everywhere — is deserving of love, care, and protection. It’s that belief, more than any other, that drives me to speak out again today.
I am still terrified by the violence inflicted by Hamas. I am still enraged by the rise in antisemitism — across the political spectrum and here in San Diego. I continue to struggle with the disregard of the feelings and fears of Jews by people who are otherwise unimpeachable in their demand for respect for all people. I still fiercely protect my Jewish son and hold space for the fear felt in my community.
But I am more horrified than ever by the atrocities being carried out by the war criminals in the Netanyahu government.
More enraged by the silence, inaction, and complicity of world leaders — particularly those in this country, in both parties.
More alarmed by how collective punishment has been normalized, and how the suffering of civilians — especially children — has been erased.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Millions are displaced. Entire families are gone. Children buried under rubble. Mothers starving. Aid blocked. Babies and children are dying from starvation. Hope crushed.
It is a humanitarian catastrophe. And it is getting worse by the day.
To be Jewish is to inherit a history of unimaginable pain — but also a mandate for justice. To me, “never again” must mean never again for anyone.
Never again for Jews, never again for Palestinians, never again for the people of Sudan, never again for the Druze. Never again for anyone, anywhere.
Atrocities do not undo atrocities. Brutality does not cancel out brutality. Dehumanization is not the antidote to dehumanization.
As a Jew, whose ancestors spent hundreds of years fleeing persecution, I have a stake in Israel. As an American and elected official, I have a stake in who my government chooses to support and fund. As a human and a father, I have a stake in humanity.
So again, I call for an end to this war. Again, I continue to unequivocally condemn the violence committed by Hamas — and also call for the release of all hostages. Again, I call for full humanitarian access and an end to the siege. Again, I call for a future rooted in justice, dignity, and safety — for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
The geopolitics of the Middle East may be complicated, but human decency is not. Innocent people should not be killed.
Not by bullets. Not by bombs. Not by starvation.
The Israeli government is a threat not only to basic human rights and the Palestinian people, but to the safety of Jews around the world. And while antisemitism is rising, it is not antisemitic to call out Netanyahu and his radical right-wing extremists.
The truth is being spoken — loudly and more and more often — by Israelis themselves.
Prominent politicians and former military leaders have condemned the violence and suffering being imposed on Palestinian civilians.
In Tel Aviv, protestors are holding photos of children who have been starved to death by the Israeli government. They refused to be silent. They called on us all “to refuse the starvation, to refuse the killing, to refuse the annihilation.”
Earlier this week, for the first time, two prominent Israeli human rights groups released a report accusing the Israeli government of genocide.
I stand with those who are voicing their moral outrage and am taken to my knees by the sight of the babies who are starving.
As a Jew, as a father, as an elected official, as a human being — I refuse to look away. And I refuse to stop speaking out.
Sean Elo-Rivera represents San Diego’s Ninth Council District and served three terms as City Council President.