On November 4th, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in Washington D.C. to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began over a month ago, President Joe Biden has come out in support of Israel and proposed sending millions in funding to the country. Many Americans, however, were outraged by this support, claiming that the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Force(IDF) are killing innocent civilians under the guise of eliminating the Hamas terrorist organization. People around the world are calling for a ceasefire in the Palestinian-occupied territory of Gaza, a portion of Israel where the IDF has been directing a large number of airstrikes, including several US congressmen and other world leaders. To pressure President Joe Biden into supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, 300,000+ Palestinian supporters from around the country flocked to the nation’s capital to show the President and Congress that the American people favor a ceasefire over funding the Israeli military.
In attendance were Americans with very different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and beliefs. Jewish people, Muslims, and Christians united waving Palestinian flags and handmade signs to show their support. Several protestors brought child-sized coffins to represent the many Palestinian children killed in the last few weeks, and others painted their hands red to symbolize that the US government had Palestinian blood on their hands. Leaders of the protest accused the President and Congress of funding a genocide and questioned why only a handful of Congressmen have supported a ceasefire. The protests happening around the world will surely continue as the war rages on in Israel and supporters on both sides become more desperate.
