EVANS, Ga. (WJBF) – On the lawn of the Augusta Government Center, local citizens continue to raise their voices for aid to Gaza.

It’s been 29 days since the attack on people living in both North Gaza and Israel. Since, more than 9,000 lives have been claimed due to the bombings on the Gaza strip. 

“We are here to demand ceasefire. Innocent Palestinians and civilians have been killed for the past 75 years,” Rama Daywood said.

One local Augustan was born in Gaza and had a home on his native land. But that home no longer stands.

“I don’t know why Israel targeted my house, my brother and his family were living there, but it happened that my brother came to attend a wedding in Georgia with us. We enjoyed the wedding, the wedding was good, but next day the war started. Now, he is crying every day because he is on the Egyptian side and he can’t go to Gaza to take care of his wife and his four children,” Fayek Ismail said. 

Now, people in the CSRA are using their voices to urge peace and ceasefire. One attendee tells me while a nation has the right to defend themselves, enough is enough.

“It’s important to know that dropping bombs in heavily densely populated areas– where there are a lot of civilians, women and children, that’s not okay. Even if there are people– even if there is military target there– indiscriminately attacking densely populated areas is not okay,” Hasaiam Armashi said. 

But folks with direct ties to Gaza say this war did not start on Oct 7. 

“It did not start on Oct. 7. When I was there, we had electricity for only six hours per day. Six hours. The people in Gaza are educated, they’re very good and peaceful people. They just want to end the occupation; they just want to live free,” Maha Ismail said.

Whether they are here in the U.S. or in any other part of the world, many people have the same message of the U.S. government: “At least ceasefire, because at this time Palestinians in Gaza, they don’t have water, they don’t have food, they don’t have electricity. We want the president, our president to stop this war,” Fayek Ismail said.