By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday, marching from Washington to Milan to Paris, demanding an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The protests highlighted growing concern over the rising civilian death toll and suffering resulting from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Protesters in countries with substantial Muslim populations, including the U.S., U.K., and France, expressed disillusionment with their governments for their support of Israel amidst intensifying attacks on hospitals and residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has now reached 9,448. In Israel, over 1,400 people have lost their lives, with most casualties occurring during the October 7 Hamas attack that ignited the conflict.
In Washington, D.C., thousands gathered at the nation’s capital to protest the Biden administration’s stance on Israel and its ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Chants of “Palestine will be free” filled Pennsylvania Avenue, leading up to the White House, as a massive Palestinian flag was unfurled.
Simultaneously, demonstrations took place in New York, London, and Paris, echoing the sentiments of the protest in Washington. Many speakers at the rallies focused on President Biden’s support for Israel’s war efforts and his opposition to a cease-fire. One member of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights referred to the president as “Genocide Joe.”
Later, images circulated online of scores of demonstrators marching towards the United Nations building in Midtown Manhattan. The New York City Police Department reported temporary road closures due to the protest, but no arrests had been made. Mayor Eric Adams said he was monitoring the situation.
As of Saturday evening, U.N. press officers had yet to respond to emails seeking comment. On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that protesters at the Port of Oakland in California had climbed aboard a U.S. military vessel believed to be en route to Israel.
In Europe, at least 11 individuals were arrested in London on Saturday afternoon as a surge of hundreds of demonstrators brought the Oxford Circus shopping and tourist district to a standstill. Streets were blocked, and slogans in support of the Palestinian people were chanted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected pleas by President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting that would allow for the delivery of food and medical supplies to Gaza.
Following a meeting with Blinken in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu stated, “I have made it clear that we are continuing forcefully, and that Israel refuses a temporary cease-fire that does not include the release of our hostages. Israel does not allow the entry of fuel to the Gaza Strip and opposes the transfer of funds to Gaza.”
According to data from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, Israeli airstrikes have killed 9,257 people in the coastal enclave since October 7, including 3,826 children, according to a U.N. report on Friday. Less than one-third of Gaza’s hospitals are currently operational, and the territory has only seven days’ worth of food stocks remaining, according to the U.N.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized, “We stand strongly with and behind Israel in its right and obligation to defend itself, defend its people, and take the steps necessary to try to ensure that this never happens again.” He also underscored “the imperative of doing everything possible to protect civilians, the imperative of doing everything possible to get assistance to those who need it.”
