Gaza Ceasefire Advocate Is Running For Mayor In East Brunswick

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A local Gaza ceasefire advocate is running for mayor in East Brunswick this year.

Ateka Gunja, a cardiologist, has been a vocal supporter of a ceasefire in the war-torn region. She is running as an independent.

Gunja will be challenging Mayor Brad Cohen a Democrat and Eugene DeMarzo, a Republican.

Over the past few months, Gunja, along with other advocates attended several council meetings, asking the East Brunswick Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Disappointed with the response from the Mayor and Council, Gunja is now running for elected office.

“Our Mayor and town council have refused to even consider a ceasefire resolution since November. In the meantime, almost 200,000 Palestinians have been killed,” Gunja told Patch.

“I just want people to know there is an alternative to the current mayor and town council. We can take a stand in East Brunswick against genocide.”

The decision to run for office came just days before the deadline for filing, Gunja said. Her family and friends have been overall supportive of her decision.

Gunja is also the spokesperson of the New Jersey Palestinian Solidarity Coalition (NJPSC).

Protests spread across the county and on college campuses in spring questioning the Biden administration’s position on Israel as the war raged on in Gaza.

Mediators are currently working on a ceasefire agreement in the devastating war that has left thousands of people dead including women and children. According to the United Nations, the official death toll in Gaza currently stands at 40,000.

Incidentally, all three candidates for mayor are doctors – Cohen a gynecologist, DeMarzo a podiatrist and Gunja a cardiologist.

The election this year will be held on Nov. 5.

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