NORTHAMPTON — As Israel amasses troops along the border with Gaza in preparation for a likely ground invasion, around 50 protesters congregated at the roundabout in front of the Coolidge Bridge in Northampton Monday to call for a ceasefire in the conflict and to draw attention to what the United Nations has described as a “deepening humanitarian crisis” in Gaza.

A similar rally held on Sunday drew around 100 people, according to the western Massachusetts chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a nationwide organization that advocates for Palestinian rights. The organization also is planning a larger protest in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

 “I’m Jewish, and I’m saying here, not in my name,” said Batya Sobel, a South Hadley resident who partook in Monday’s protest in Northampton. “There’s so many Jewish people like me who feel the exact same way.”

Sobel said she supported a ceasefire to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is running low on electricity, food and oil, and that a ground invasion by Israel would be tantamount to what she described as genocide.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7 with Hamas killing more than 1,400 Israelis, has led to Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people. Bombings by the Israeli military has in turn resulted in more than 2,700 Palestinian deaths, and Gaza’s border with Egypt has been closed since the start of the conflict. Israel also has warned residents in northern Gaza to evacuate in anticipation of an invasion.

Also protesting Monday in Northampton were Hannah and Leyla Moushabeck, two Palestinian-American sisters who live in Amherst. They said they had heard from a friend who lives in Gaza who was unable to secure enough food for himself and his wife, only for their children.

“The situation is incredibly dire, and we’re speaking up for them [the Palestinians in Gaza] because they’re losing their ability to do so,” said Hannah Moushabeck.

Leyla Moushabeck said she also feared retaliation against Palestinian-Americans during the war, as was the case last Saturday in Chicago when a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death.

“We are scared, we are traumatized, but we’re putting that aside now,” said Leyla Moushabeck. “We need to stand up for the 2.2 million people who are just waiting to die right now.”

The protest has been one of several that have occurred in the Pioneer Valley since the beginning of the war. Last Thursday, students at UMass Amherst held a pro-Palestinian rally on campus, and another protest took place in Northampton on Monday, Oct. 9 in front of the Hampshire County Courthouse.

The protesters on Coolidge Bridge on Monday called on elected officials to advocate for a ceasefire. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged his support for Israel, but also warned against an occupation of Gaza during a Sunday interview on “60 Minutes.”

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, whose district includes Northampton, was one of several progressive lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives who signed a letter to Biden that condemned the attacks against Hamas, but also expressed concern about the situation in Gaza and that a complete siege of the territory would amount to a violation of international law.

“Israel has an absolute right to defend itself,” wrote McGovern on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. “But cutting off food, water and fuel to civilians as they flee from conflict is wrong.”

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who also represents part of western Massachusetts, has stated his support for Israel, joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers in front of the Supreme Court steps on Friday in solidarity with Israel. In a statement sent out on Oct. 7, Neal condemned the attacks by Hamas.

“Israel has a right to defend itself and its people, and the United States stands firmly with our ally,” Neal said in the statement. “This was nothing short of an unprovoked attack on the Israeli people and Israeli sovereignty.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.