New Yorkers march for Palestine on Martin Luther King Jr Day
Nearly a thousand people attended a pro-Palestine march in New York City on Martin Luther King Jr Day, demanding an end to Israel's war in Gaza and rallying for healthcare.
"This march is a call to demand an end to the genocide, to end all US aid to Israel, to lift the siege and blockade on Gaza in order to prevent the healthcare system’s total collapse and hundreds of thousands of more deaths from illnesses if the bombs do not kill them first," the organisers of Within Our Lifetime (WOL) wrote on social media.
Israel’s latest attacks in the Gaza Strip have brought the Palestinian death toll to more than 24,000 since the war began. Over 8,000 people are still missing in the enclave.
This number includes more than 10,400 children. At least 60,317 people have also been wounded, as many go without proper healthcare treatment for their injuries.
Air strikes on Monday by Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians.
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In the US state of Vermont on Monday, 50 protestors blocked the parking lot entrances to a weapons manufacturing complex demanding that the US government call for a ceasefire and stop arming the Israeli army.
"Here in the US, in Palestine, and in Israel, no matter our religion or background, we all deserve a life of safety and freedom for ourselves and our families," a protest organiser in Vermont said in a statement shared with Middle East Eye.
Miles away in New York City, just a few hours before expected snowfall, protesters wearing white coats and medical attire made their way to the United Nations headquarters and then to Gracie Mansion, where the city's mayor lives.
Marchers chanted slogans like "Free, free Palestine" and "We are all Palestinian." They held posters with the names of healthcare workers who were killed by Israeli strikes.
On Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted about the 100 days of the war. He, like US President Joe Biden in his statement from the White House, didn't mention the word Palestine and was criticised for it.
"100 days. 100 days since Hamas murdered over 1,200 Israelis and started a war. 100 days since the 136 hostages who remain in captivity have seen their families."
"This must end. Innocent lives should never be lost. The hostages must be released. We must #BringThemHomeNow," he said.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people marched in Washington DC in what is said to be the largest pro-Palestine demonstration in the US since the Hamas-led 7 October attacks, when 1,040 people were killed in southern Israel and 240 were taken hostage. At least 100 remain in captivity in Gaza.
The protest was part of a global day of rallies that saw similar pro-Palestinian marches in cities including London, Rome, and Johannesburg.
The Biden administration has continued to support Israel's campaign in Gaza and has resisted calls for a ceasefire despite the almost three-month offensive that has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians, forcibly displaced more than 80 percent of the population, and created a humanitarian disaster in the densely populated enclave.
The Biden administration has twice used an emergency authority to bypass congressional review and send artillery and munitions to Israel. The US was also the sole country to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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