March for Gaza: At D.C. rally, thousands expected to demand war cease-fire

Mohamad Habehh, director of improvement for American Muslims for Palestine and lead organizer of Saturday’s occasion, stated organizers picked this weekend to mark practically 100 days of war and to honor the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day vacation.

“We’re previous three months of fixed killing,” Habehh stated. “We really feel that it will be significant for us to come back on this vacation weekend within the spirit of MLK when he stated that ‘injustice wherever is a risk to justice all over the place,’ that we rise up towards the injustice that’s happening in Gaza proper now, and rise up towards the atrocities which are being supported and being promoted by our authorities.”

Organizers anticipate that upward of 25,000 folks will attend the occasion at Freedom Plaza, based on a allow issued by the Nationwide Park Service late Thursday. The allow additionally contains parts of Lafayette Sq., throughout from the White Home, the place protesters are anticipated to march following the rally. There are buses coming from states throughout the nation, together with Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin, based on the occasion web site.

The rally is the second in help of Gaza in Washington for the reason that Israel-Gaza struggle started on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched an assault on Israel killing 1,200 folks and taking about 240 hostage. Within the months which have adopted, intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel has left at the very least 23,708 useless and roughly 60,000 wounded, based on the Gaza Well being Ministry.

A rally in support of Israel was held in mid-November on the Nationwide Mall, the place 1000’s gathered to precise their solidarity with Israel, display their resolve to fight antisemitism, and demand the discharge of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in its Oct. 7 assault.

Saturday’s protest comes a day after Israel rejected allegations introduced by South Africa on the Worldwide Court docket of Justice that it’s committing genocide in Gaza. Israel stated the rising dying toll in Gaza was an unavoidable consequence of its battle towards a militant military that has embedded itself in civilian areas and seeks to repeat the Oct. 7 assaults.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the cost, saying “At present, once more, we noticed an upside-down world, wherein the State of Israel is accused of genocide at a time when it’s combating genocide.”

Audio system introduced for the rally embrace Nihad Awad, govt director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, presidential candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein, Ilyasah Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X), Colorado state Rep. Iman Jodeh (D), Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin and members of the family of individuals killed in Gaza.

This story will probably be up to date.