San Francisco, May 21 (IANS): Nearly 1,000 employees at Apple have written a letter to CEO Tim Cook, calling for the company to support the Palestinian people, as a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following 11 days of escalating tension between the two sides on the Gaza Strip.

The employees, part of the Apple Muslim Association (AMA) which is an official employee group, asked the company to recognise that "millions of Palestinian people currently suffer under an illegal occupation," reports The Verge.

"We are frustrated and disappointed because once more, many of those in positions of power and influence... either choose to remain silent or release ineffectually neutral ‘both sides' statements with regards to the Palestinian situation," they wrote in the letter.

Apple was yet to respond to the letter, according to the report.

"We are Muslims at Apple have enjoyed even more privilege -- to work for a great company that has led the way not only on products, but on human rights issues. We in the AMA have expressed our solidarity and will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Black and Brown communities in their fight for justice and equity. We reached out to support and will continue to support our Asian communities in the face of anti-Asian hate and attacks. And we supported teammates from multiple nations as they dealt with the anxiety of the travel ban," the letter read.

"Which is why we believe Apple's public commitment to respecting internationally recognised human rights must also extend explicitly and clearly to the Palestinian people," they added.

According to the latest media reports, a total of 232 Palestinians, including more than 60 children, and at least 12 Israelis, have been killed since violence erupted near the Gaza border on May 10.