Rawand Aqtam, Youth Peace Camp Manager I am so excited to share that I’m going to be a counselor at the annual Summer Program for bereaved Israeli and Palestinian youth. I live in Nablus, Palestine where I practice law. This will be my 12th summer at the Youth Peace Camp. I attended the summer program … Continue reading A message from the Youth Peace Camp manager
August 2021 How will you help the next generation of peace? The Parents Circle’s Youth Peace Camp brings together Israeli and Palestinian teens for five days of shared experiences, in order to help dispel stereotypes and to create the next generation of peace leaders. Each summer, the Parents Circle holds a summer program for peace … Continue reading Youth Peace Camp
French interview about AFPC
The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Gaza continues to hold, but tensions between Israelis and Palestinians remain high. The devastating 11-day air war killed more than 240 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis. Three hundred buildings in Gaza were razed. Throughout this conflict, and the decades of war that preceded it, some Israeli Jews and Palestinians have continued … Continue reading Parents Who’ve Lost Kids To Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Work Together To Promote Peace | WBUR
In its continued efforts to extend a hand of peace and reconciliation, the joint Israeli-Palestinian organization, Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF), on May 10 held a vigil against the violence which ignited in Jerusalem at the start of Ramadan and continues to escalate. The PCFF members are over 600 Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost … Continue reading As Violence Escalates In Israel, Parents Circle Becomes A Catalyst For Change | pressenza
The Parents Circle stays away from the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, but we are fully involved in the human impact of it. Check out our ad in The Hill. How you can help To run the Peace Square, Parents Circle needs financial support for promotion, advertising, translations, and other expenses. Help us raise our voice. … Continue reading The Parents Circle in The Hill
Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians will host the Israeli and Palestinian public to the virtual Peace Square every night to hear voices of peace, humanization and empathy. The voices of bereaved Israelis and Palestinians speak louder than rockets, bombs and sirens. The Peace Square will include guest speakers, bereaved members sharing their stories, music, deep dialogue and more. At … Continue reading Emergency Fund for the Peace Square
Recording AvailableVisit the Palestinian Village of Lifta May 11, 2021 https://youtu.be/S_69HFTHUbk A virtual tour of the destroyed Palestinian village, Lifta, occupied in 1948 and completely depopulated. Our personal tour guide, Umar al-Ghubari, showed us why Lifta is a symbol of the “Nakba,” — the catastrophe for Palestinians still living out the impact of 1948 until … Continue reading WEBINAR — Visit the Palestinian Village of Lifta
https://youtu.be/a4aD6Xz2ynY “Over the years, I abandoned my thoughts for revenge. I understood there’s no point in additional killing. It does no good for anybody. It’s not going to heal my wounds or my scars.” — Yuval Rahamim, bereaved Israeli son and Parents Circle Co-Director, in his address at this year’s J Street conference. Watch the … Continue reading On the Road to Reconciliation
Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parents Circle – Families Forum share memories of the loved ones they’ve lost as part of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CRBCAPrTF4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k2Vd9QJdtAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfED_R_UDDkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9FHxhVmlJ8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE2qhv5kKWo Watch the recording of the 2021 Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
I am Kholoud Houshiya and I live in the village of Al Yamun near Jenin. Originally my family is from Haifa. I wasn’t able to experience childhood due to the occupation, which forcibly displaced my family to Jenin under oppression and humiliation.
Later, I married and I gave birth to my first child, whom I named Mohammed. I raised him with all my love and effort.
Mohammed was a young man who loved life dearly, and he loved me even more. He was both my son and my friend, thanks to our close bond.
Mohamad was 23 years old. He worked in Israel and helped his father.
On January 2, 2024 Mohamed took a picture of the Israeli army tearing down my neighbor’s house. The army thought otherwise and they shot him. Just because he was Palestinian.
I always dreamed of seeing my son as a groom, just like any mother. But now, I am left with him buried in my garden. I had hoped to see him, his wife, and his children in my house, but now, every day, I look at his grave from the window in my room.
My message to the world is this: Enough. Enough killing, enough injustice, enough destruction, enough oppression. Enough violence on both sides.
It is not easy for a mother to recount the story of her son’s death—the pain is indescribable. I cannot bear the loss of another child. This is why we must raise the voice of the mothers for a better future for all children and young generations – Palestinians and Israelis.
I am Hala Al-Bukhari, living in Jerusalem.
My daughter, my sister and her large family, children and grandchildren live in Gaza. Despite the distance, before the war, I used to communicate with them daily, checking on their health via video call.
On the morning of October 7th, my son told me to watch TV to see what was happening in southern Israel. From that day, fear has overwhelmed my heart.
Then came the morning of October 18th, bringing the harsh news: My sister’s house was bombed, and she, her husband, her children, and grandchildren were in the house—33 innocent lives lost in this horrific massacre. Since then, my fear for my daughter has grown. I have pleaded with human rights organizations, seeking any means to get her out of the hell of war and the horror of the massacres. Eventually we succeeded to get my daughter out of Gaza.
With every word I write, I struggle to express the extent of my pain. Our hearts bleed with grief for those we have lost and continue to lose. Our sorrow is profound, and our souls yearn for the peace we all dream of.
Let us all live in peace and build a better future for our children. War brings only destruction and ruin to everyone involved, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is always the innocent people who suffer the most.
I am Liat Atzili from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
My partner, Aviv and I built a life and a family in Nir Oz. We were an inseparable part of this little community, which fulfilled our aspirations and needs. Mine as an educator, and Aviv’s as a farmer and an artist.
On October 7th, our kibbutz was attacked, conquered, and destroyed by Hamas. A quarter of the residents were either killed or kidnapped, including me. The time I spent as a hostage in Gaza was of complete despair, unending fear for my friends and family, and long days. I was nervous that I wouldn’t survive.
After 54 days in captivity, I was returned home. The following day, my family and I were told that Aviv was killed on October 7th. Aviv had hundreds of friends, he traveled and created, and made the most of every opportunity; he truly loved life.In his final year, Aviv fulfilled many dreams, the greatest being to share his art publicly. While managing the kibbutz’s agricultural garage, he painted on tractor parts and scrap metal, blending his love for metals and the Negev fields into his creations. Our children looked up to him and I feel like I had the greatest privilege to share my life with him.
I always believed that war is not our destiny, and that any conflict, including ours, can be solved. This war has proven to me beyond a doubt that we cannot continue fighting, that we have no right to impose the continued suffering of war on future generations on either side. I am ready today, more than ever, to do everything in my power so that our children can live here in peace and security.
I am Mazen from Bethlehem. Many of my family members live in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. They lived in a beautiful house and went on about their lives, despite the siege.
It all stopped on October 10, 2024, when, my uncle, his three sons, and his son-in-law were outside near the house. Israeli aircraft targeted them with bombardment and gunfire. My aunt managed to bring their bodies into the house. With trembling hands, she was forced to gather what remained of them, unable for over a week to lay her husband and three sons to rest.
I cannot believe that so many of my family are dead, and that I cannot go there to help them and cry with them.
The depth of pain in Gaza is beyond description and cannot be fathomed by the human mind. How much longer will this hatred on both sides continue? How much longer will we endure this nightmare? All the Palestinian people desire is a dignified life free from occupation—a fundamental right, just like that of any other people in the world.
The suffering will not cease until we collectively seek pathways to peace and understanding. Revenge will not forge a shared future; we must strive to find common ground and solidarity. Let us unite for a brighter future for the generations to come, and let us raise our voices for peace, so that together we may end this cycle of violence and finally live in safety and harmony.
