Dozens of activists have staged a protest rally in the US city of Chicago, demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel intensifies its deadly bombing campaign in the besieged enclave.
Nearly 50 protesters gathered at the city’s major intersection of Ida B. Wells Drive and Clark Street on Monday evening, blocking rush-hour traffic, as they chanted slogans such as “Ceasefire now,” and “Free, free Palestine.”
Traffic was blocked for more than two hours before police began forcibly removing the demonstrators and issuing them citations for obstructing traffic.
The rally was organized by a coalition of Jewish groups, including IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Never Again. Organizers say the activists were flanked by a march of 500 supporters.
“What the coalition of Jewish organizations in Chicago are calling attention to in this moment is the necessity of an immediate ceasefire to stop the catastrophic loss of life,” Ashely Bohrer, an activist with Jewish Voice for Peace said, calling the loss of life in Gaza “tantamount to ongoing genocide.”
Eli Newell, an organizer with the Jewish peace group IfNotNow in Chicago also said only a ceasefire can protect Palestinian lives in this perilous moment,” adding that “collective punishment” won’t make Palestinian civilians safe.
Monday’s rally comes as mass protests are being held across the United States against Washington’s support for the Israeli military, amid Tel Aviv’s brutal siege and intensifying bombardment of Gaza.
Thousands of people took to the streets in several US cities over the past few days, calling for an emergency ceasefire after the death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza surpassed 5,000.
Thousands marched for a ceasefire in Brooklyn on Saturday, as more than 100 were arrested for blocking traffic at various demonstrations in the tri-state region over the weekend.
In Philadelphia, activists in solidarity with Palestinians gathered at the city’s iconic art museum. The rally was organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition and its allies. Participants estimated that thousands of people showed up to the march.
Protests were also held in Minneapolis, New Orleans, Dan Francisco, Denver, Skokie, and Illinois, calling for an emergency ceasefire as horrifying images and reports of widespread civilian suffering and death continue to emerge from Gaza.
Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.
The death toll in Gaza since the start of Israeli aggression has reached nearly 5,800 with more than 18,000 wounded.
Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the besieged territory into a humanitarian crisis.
The regime has further ordered 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to evacuate and move south of the blockaded territory.
