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US: Jewish Activists Protest in Solidarity with Palestine, Demand Ceasefire in Gaza

The rally was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, two Jewish anti-Zionist groups.

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New Delhi: Hundreds of Jewish activists demonstrated on Capitol Hill and protested inside a House office building on Wednesday, October 18, demanding that the Biden administration and lawmakers push for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israeli airstrikes continue and the humanitarian crisis intensifies.

US Capitol Police arrested around 300 people who were protesting inside the House office building and said three protesters were charged with assault on a police officer.

The rally was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, two Jewish anti-Zionist groups. Wearing black shirts that said “Not in our name” on the front and “Jews say ceasefire now” on the back, about 400 group members gathered inside the building.

According to a post by Jewish Voice for Peace on X (formerly Twitter), thousands of protesters sang and chanted outside. They held signs saying, “Jews say stop the genocide of Palestinians” and “Never again for anyone.”

This demonstration comes amid protests across the Middle East after a strike on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City Tuesday killed about 500 people, making it the deadliest single strike on civilians in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began.

In live updates during the protest on X, Jewish Voice for Peace posted, “While we were inside, an Israeli airstrike bombed the entrance of a school in Khan Younis, where Palestinians were forced to evacuate to. These are atrocities. This is why we demand a ceasefire now!”

This is the second time this week that Jewish protesters demanding a ceasefire were arrested. On Monday, more than 30 people were arrested in a protest that blocked entrances to the White House.

“People are coming from across the country,” said Eva Borgwardt, the national spokeswoman for If Not Now, according to the New York Times. “So many of us are grieving,” she said, adding, “The horrific bombing cannot be the answer.”