We have failed in the fight for justice — we need ceasefire in Gaza now 

Our father and grandfather, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was always willing to speak up in the face of oppression around the world.  

Though he was a man who loved to be loved, he felt compelled to call out injustice, even when it led to him being accused of being a communist, a politician in priest’s garb, a racist. He continued to speak out even when he was sanctioned by the South African apartheid government, had his passport taken away, and when he and his family were threatened with violence. As he often said, “I cannot be silent in the face of dehumanization and oppression of my brothers and sisters at home and around the world.”  

He spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, violence in Sudan and the atrocities of Idi Amin in Uganda. And so, when he witnessed the injustices done to Palestinians on multiple visits to the region, Archbishop Tutu declared his outspoken support for the Palestinian people as they struggled for their freedom from what he recognized as a form of apartheid. In 2014 he wrote, “I know first-hand that Israel has created an apartheid reality. … The parallels to my own beloved South Africa are painfully stark.”  

As his descendants, we would be dishonoring his life and legacy if we remained silent in the face of the death and destruction being rained on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israeli military. As Martin Luther King Jr. remarked “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In this spirit, we remain dedicated to working tirelessly to ensure the rights, dignity and safety of every individual in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.  

This is why we are unequivocally calling for a ceasefire and a complete end to Israel’s occupation so that peace can finally be realized. Not a mere pause, but sustainable peace. 

As every day goes by, we weep for the loss of life we continue to read about and see on TV and social media. Over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the last nine weeks. The besieged civilian population of more than 2 million people, 85 percent of whom have been forced from their homes and are living in squalid overcrowded conditions, is facing starvation and the spread of rampant disease.  

Palestinian children deserve the same joy, peace and security that our children are afforded. Instead, more than 7,000 Palestinian children have been killed and countless others buried underneath the rubble in Gaza. Thousands more have been maimed for life, orphaned and made homeless. The extent of the trauma that has been inflicted can scarcely be imagined and will need generations to heal. 

As the world’s eyes are on the calamity in Gaza, Israeli soldiers and settlers have intensified their attacks against Palestinians across the West Bank as well, with the army invading Palestinian cities and towns daily and settlers driving Palestinian families off their land. Over 270 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7 and hundreds more imprisoned without due process. Numerous villages have been emptied of their Palestinian residents by settler attacks. 
 
Archbishop Tutu advocated to dismantle the chains of hatred and division, and once that was achieved in South Africa, he embraced the power of forgiveness and reconciliation that followed. He lived by the principle of Ubuntu, the African philosophy that teaches that every action we do for or against others has an impact on our own humanity. While white South Africans were privileged by apartheid, they paid the price by sacrificing their own freedom and security. They became prisoners of their own making. The harm we do to others does indeed harm us.  

We continue his legacy, believing in our shared humanity and God’s dream of a just and peaceful world. Inspired by the words and work of our ancestors, we stand united against all forms of oppression, recognizing the shared humanity that binds us. Fighting for Palestinian freedom and standing against antisemitism are part of the same worldwide struggle for dignity and human rights. We acknowledge the strength that comes from unity and diversity. The liberation of Palestinians will also be the liberation of Israelis. 
 
When hospitals, homes, United Nations shelters, churches, mosques and schools are attacked and not afforded the presumption of civilian protections, when millions of people are deprived of food and water and doctors of basic medicines to treat the ill and wounded, world leaders have failed humanity. What is taking place in Gaza is a man-made humanitarian catastrophe that we will have to explain to our children and their children. 
 
We must remain dedicated to ensuring the rights, dignity and safety of every individual in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel. We believe, as Archbishop Tutu warned, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Let us come together and end the cycle of violence and trauma today. Let President Biden and other world leaders call loudly and unequivocally for a ceasefire to end the carnage and unimaginable suffering that we are witnessing in Gaza while the world fails to intervene.  

Upholding the principles of equality, dignity and human rights for all, we must strive for a world where justice prevails and every individual is protected, including the long-suffering people of Palestine. We must no longer deny the right of Palestinians to be free. As President Mandela said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” 

Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu is the daughter of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Nompumelelo (Mungi) is his granddaughter.