How AIPAC Killed the First Real Push for a Ceasefire
August 22, 2025
For two years now, AIPAC has been flooding Congress with cash to silence anyone willing to speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. But October 2023 remains one of the clearest examples of how their money buys blood.
The Ceasefire That Almost Was
On October 16, 2023, progressive members of Congress—Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others—introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire. It was the first organized push inside Washington to stop Israel’s bombardment in Gaza. For a moment, it looked like momentum was building.
The Hospital Strike
The very next night, October 17, the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City was struck by a massive explosion. At the time, the hospital was also a staging area for survivors of earlier bombings. Initial reports said nearly 500 people were dead. Later updates put the toll at 200–300 killed and hundreds more wounded—still one of the deadliest single strikes in Gaza.
Israel denied responsibility, claiming it was a Hamas rocket misfire. The Biden administration and nearly every major Western outlet echoed that narrative. But independent investigators, including Forensic Architecture, using open-source intelligence and trajectory analysis, concluded that there was no convincing evidence to support Israel’s claim. Hospitals were already known targets, and the IDF had struck al-Ahli just days earlier.
The Pressure Builds
On October 18, public pressure reached a boiling point. Social media was flooded with images from the strike. Josh Paul, a high-ranking State Department official, resigned in protest of U.S. policy in Gaza. For the first time, it seemed possible that Washington might have to confront the growing demand for a ceasefire.
The Money Bomb
But by the end of that same day, AIPAC stepped in. Their PAC records show that on October 18, they poured $488,975 into the campaign accounts of 103 members of Congress and candidates. Nearly half a million dollars in one day.
That cash infusion worked exactly as intended. Calls for a ceasefire collapsed. Politicians stayed quiet. The bombs kept falling.
Two Years Later
Today, Gaza lies in ruins. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are dead or dying, most of them women and children. A man-made famine is spreading. And yet, AIPAC continues to shovel money into the pockets of U.S. politicians who look away and do nothing.
Why Track AIPAC Exists
The lesson of October 2023 is brutally clear: there was a chance to stop this genocide, and AIPAC killed it with cash. That’s why Track AIPAC exists. We are the only organization created solely to expose and dismantle AIPAC’s influence on our democracy.
We’re here to hold bought politicians accountable. We’re here to show voters that calls for justice are drowned out by a flood of blood money. And we’re here to support candidates who refuse to be bought.
The truth is simple: a ceasefire was within reach until AIPAC paid to kill it. We can’t let them buy off our future again.
