my name is laila el-haddad, i'm a palestinian on the and social activist from gaza city. i live in columbia, maryland. and my tax dollars killed eight members of my family this morning. i would like to just take a moment to read their names. they were fleeing their home when the second israeli missile followed them and killed them. i would just like to take a moment of silence and prayer, please come for these fallen, and the thousands of others. thank you. i would like to talk to you a little bit about gaza. because after all that's what we're all here. i'd like to start by giving you a little bit of context. because all too often we hear about this as the latest cycle of violence. as a response, as a justified retaliation by israel, as self-defense. to the killing of three israeli teens. the reality is, gaza right now is being bombarded. it is completely blocked out, beseiged and blockaded. this is a situation unheard of in modern history. for a population that is already largely refugees, that is already deceased, that is already stateless to then be bombarded merciles