'Flood Brooklyn for Gaza' rally held by thousands in support of Palestinians

Around 7,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on the Brooklyn Bridge during a march on Saturday (Oct 28), voicing their support for the Islamist terrorist group Hamas.

"Freedom by any means, land back by any means," a 24-year-old protester from Queens said during the three-mile "Flood Brooklyn for Gaza" march which started at 3 pm in front of the Brooklyn Museum in Crown Heights.

Dorian said, "I believe the settler state of Israel must be taken down."

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Supporters of the protesters lined up along the road while distributing water to the marching demonstrators in 80-degree heat. However, those who defended Israel were booed by the massive rally.

The demonstrators were seen carrying anti-Israel banners with anti-semitic slogans such as “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free." The rally headed north along Flatbush Avenue to the Barclays Center, and then converged on the Brooklyn Bridge.

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The huge demonstrations halted traffic on the Manhattan-bound side around 6 pm as some scaled metal barriers and waved Palestinian flags.

A 67-year-old woman reportedly said,“It’s not a question of ‘justified.’ If you are occupied, you fight back and do what they did…they will fight back."

“I’m in support of the solidarity of the Palestinian people because the genocide of now, I mean, there’s been so many times I can push you before you push back right?” said another Palestinian supporter.

Also Read |Qatar leads negotiations between Israel and Hamas amid war

Protests across the world

Massive protests have also broken out in cities across West Asia after the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital which claimed to have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

Israel refuted the claims that the country made the strike and said that the blast occurred due to a 'misfired' missile that was aimed at it.

Protests sparked around the world where demonstrators rallied with their demand for the release of Israelis who have been taken hostage by Hamas gunmen.

Watch |Israel-Palestine war | Israel PM Netanyahu says fighting in Gaza will be "Long and difficult

As concerns grow over the escalating Israel-Hamas war potentially triggering a broader conflict in the Middle East, the international community is witnessing a surge in calls for a ceasefire.

(With inputs from agencies)

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