Tens of thousands march in Washington, D.C. to call for Gaza cease-fire

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. It was one of the biggest pro-Palestinian protests in the U.S.

Tyrone Turner/DCist/WAMU

At least tens of thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital on Saturday for one of the biggest pro-Palestinian protests in the U.S. since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began in response to the attack by Hamas militants last month.

Protesters are pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza, where health officials say thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

The event, organized by several pro-Palestinian groups, began with an afternoon rally at Freedom Plaza, before crowds began a march in a loop past the White House a few blocks away.

Protesters hold cloth bundles with the names of Palestinian children who were killed by Israeli attacks.

Tyrone Turner/DCist/WAMU

At the rally, speakers’ chants and messaging centered on calls to end U.S. funding for Israel in the war, accusing President Biden of backing a “genocide” of Palestinian people.

Nour Jaghama, a Palestinian organizer for the anti-war organization Code Pink, asked the crowd: “Why we can hear these words and firsthand accounts from Gaza yet the genocide still continues? Why do only 18 representatives and only one senator support a cease-fire?”

At Saturday’s rally, protesters held a moment of silence for those killed in Israel’s response offensive. More than 9,480 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military attacks over the…