Many members of the Jewish community in the Twins Cities gathered Monday morning calling for peace and safety for everybody in the Middle East.
Singing words that translate to "justice," several dozen at Gold Medal Park began with that before walking to Senator Amy Klobuchar's (D) Minneapolis office Monday morning.
Nat El-Hai represents Jews Against Genocide and says the fighting has to stop.
"We hope that she will refuse to be complicit in the war crimes that are being committed right now," says El-Hai. "I hope people will see that there's a powerful voice of Jewish people who say that we reject the instrumentalisation and manipulation of our pain for more violence against the already besieged Palestinian people in Gaza."
More than 300 people signed a letter to the Senator, calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East and access to humanitarian aid for the region.
In a statement last week, Senator Klobuchar condemned the Hamas attacks and affirmed her support for Israel.
“The violence being perpetrated against Israeli citizens is horrific and gut wrenching," said Klobuchar. "I unequivocally condemn these Hamas terrorist attacks. The United States stands with Israel.”
Palestinians in Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water as the war in Israel rages on. More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.
Israel was also preparing for the potential of a new front opening on its northern border with Lebanon, where it has exchanged fire repeatedly with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. The military ordered residents from 28 Israeli communities to evacuate.
Speaking to the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran and Hezbollah, "Don’t test us in the north. Don’t make the mistake of the past. Today, the price you will pay will be far heavier,” referring to Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in U.N. facilities are on less than 1 liter (1 quart) of water per day. Hospitals warn they are on the verge of collapse, with emergency generators that power machines like ventilators and incubators down to about one day of fuel and supplies of medicine almost exhausted.
More than 1,400 Israelis have died, the vast majority civilians killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 assault. The Israeli military said Monday that at least 199 hostages were taken back in Gaza, higher than previous estimates. The military did not specify whether that number includes foreigners.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.