Global Cries for Ceasefire in Gaza

Millions of people around the world have rallied at marches and demonstrations over the past week, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where the death toll from Israel’s month-long assault has killed over 10,000 Palestinians, 4,324 of them being children. The attacks on the beleaguered Palestinian enclave came after an Oct. 7 invasion into southern Israel by the terrorist group Hamas, whose militiamen killed some 1,200 Israelis and took another 240 hostage.

Israel has drawn worldwide condemnation for bombing homes, schools, hospitals, religious structures and refugee camps. It has blocked off deliveries of food, water, fuel and medicine to the population of Gaza — which human rights groups say amount to “crimes against humanity,” including “genocide.” Israel says its intention is to kill Hamas leaders and destroy the group’s infrastructure and military might while freeing the hostages.

Jewish Americans and their allies, including members of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and IfNotNow, joined forces at the Statue of Liberty in New York on Monday, coming together by the hundreds to call for a ceasefire.

Jewish Voice for Peace said on Monday: “Jewish people all throughout the United States are protesting in unprecedented numbers against Israel’s destruction of Gaza and the United States’ unwavering support,” and have held mass protests and sit-ins in Congressional offices in over 25 cities across the country — with almost a thousand arrests.

On Nov. 4, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., urging President Joe Biden to endorse a ceasefire, marking the largest anti-war demonstration in the United States since the Iraq war:

Journalist Ryan Grim observed that it was the most significant pro-Palestinian rally in U.S. history, over a video where protesters advocated for an end to occupation and war, chanting, “From Palestine to the Philippines”:

DemocracyNow! interviewed demonstrators, some of whom had family members in Gaza:

Palestinian scholar Noura Erakat addressed the massive crowd at Freedom Plaza, saying “Palestine reveals the naked hypocrisy of Western universalism, it reveals our enduring colonial reality.”

Rapper Macklemore was also among the speakers at the march:

Marione Ingram, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, also joined protests in front of the White House:

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) voiced support for those calling for a ceasefire — which included protests across the country in major cities like San Francisco, New York City, Houston, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Seattle, Miami and Detroit — saying “our pro-peace, pro-humanity movement is strong and it is growing daily.”

Pro-Palestinian protests were also held around the world including in Cape Town, South Africa; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Paris, France; London, England; Milan, Italy; Belfast, Ireland; Stockholm, Sweden; Berlin, Germany; Santiago, Chile; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tokyo, Japan; Jakarta, Indonesia; Toronto, Canada; among others.

Jakarta, Indonesia:

Toronto, Canada:

London, England:

Somalia:

New Zealand:

Maoz Inon, whose parents were killed on the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, used his time on BBC to call for peace and an end to the war:

Despite global protests and overwhelming U.S. public support for a ceasefire, Biden along with the majority of U.S. Congress members, refuse to demand that Israel end its bombardment and ground operations. In October, Biden requested an additional $14 billion in military aid to Israel from Congress, on top of the typical $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid.

On Thursday, the White House announced that Israel would begin implementing four-hour “humanitarian pauses” to allow people to leave. More than 70% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced since Oct. 7.