Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied across California on Monday protesting Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon.
The demonstrations come on the anniversary of Oct. 7, when Hamas militants in Gaza attacked Israel, killed an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
At USC, hundreds of protesters shut down the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and McClintock Avenue in the afternoon. The crowd held pro-Palestinian signs and chanted, “Free, free Palestine,” according to video posted on social media. Protests were also anticipated at UCLA later in the day.
In the past year, Israeli military operations in Gaza and, more recently, against the Hamas-allied militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, have been the focus of protests. More than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have died in Israeli attacks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In Lebanon, hundreds have been killed and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
Demonstrations occurred across the country throughout the weekend and into Monday.
On Sunday, demonstrators filled San Francisco’s Mission District to protest what they said was the oppression of Palestinians. In Orange County, demonstrators gathered along Jeffrey Road in Irvine — one of the city’s main thoroughfares — on Sunday waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags and holding signs that focused on the human cost of the war.
Elsewhere, masked demonstrators set up an encampment outside Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman’s house in Cincinnati early Sunday. Landsman is Jewish. Protests were also underway in New York City.
The Associated Press contributed to this report