Hundreds protest in Philadelphia, call for ceasefire in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
3 Nov 2023 06:50

At least 200 protesters waved banners that read "Ceasefire Now" and "End the Occupation."

Hundreds gather at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (Social media)

Hundreds of activists staged a demonstration at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States, calling on US officials to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

At least 200 protesters waved banners that read "Ceasefire Now" and "End the Occupation." The police arrested several protesters for refusing to end the demonstration.

Protests continue in cities worldwide against the brutality of the Israeli occupation and its ongoing aggression on Gaza, which has been ongoing for 28 days, resulting in thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties and a massive humanitarian crisis.

#شاهد | يهود أميركيون يتظاهرون في محطة القطار في فيلادلفيا ويطالبون بوقف العدوان على #غزة.#طوفان_الأقصى #الثورة_الكبرى #الميادين pic.twitter.com/X0bW97z8t2
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) November 3, 2023

This comes as the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip has risen to 9,061 martyrs, including 3,760 children and 2,326 women, with nearly 32,000 sustaining various injuries since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

The ministry also received 2,060 reports of missing people, including 1,150 children still under the rubble, pointing to the martyrdom of 135 healthcare workers and the destruction of 25 ambulances.

It further highlighted that the Israeli occupation has destroyed over 8,000 residential buildings and numerous public facilities and structures, while also dropping more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza thus far.

In a related context, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was nearly impossible to transfer medical supplies to hospitals and criticized the absence of safety guarantees for sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

According to the WHO, the Strip's health requirements were increasing at a time when its capacity to provide them was decreasing.

Over the previous two weeks, the UN health agency has been able to get 54 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but they announced that this would not even come close to meeting the extent of the need.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in a press conference that the organization will do all it can to ensure people in Gaza can access the life-saving services, adding that the current situation makes it "almost impossible".

Michael Ryan, the emergencies director for the WHO, called it "unconscionable" that the staff members' fundamental safety in Gaza could not be ensured at this time.

He asserted that the organization has never had such difficulty in establishing fundamental guidelines for minimum safety guarantees for humanitarian workers.

Ryan held the occupation authorities particularly responsible for ensuring that hospitals remain "not only protected but serviced and supplied with the adequate needs for the populations that they serve."

Delivering medical supplies to their designated locations, he noted, "has not been facilitated, that has not been supported; in fact, if anything, quite the opposite."

Tedros added that words are running out to "describe the horror unfolding in Gaza," emphasizing that the situation on the ground is indescribable. Hospital crammed with the injured, lying in corridors; morgues overflowing; doctors performing surgery without anaesthesia."