A large protest demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was held outside a fundraiser for President Joe Biden in Chicago early Thursday evening.
The fundraiser follows Biden's visit to Belvidere, where he touted a recent labor deal reached by the United Auto Workers and Stellantis that helped an auto plant in the Rockford suburb stay in operation.
Hundreds attending the protest in the city's West Town neighborhood feel that the voice of the Palestinian people is not being heard, while believing that Biden has the power to stop the fighting in the month-long war that began after Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 that left 1,400 Israelis dead.
A retaliation by the Israeli military has left over 10,000 Palestinians dead in the months-long war that has ensued.
Many attendees also criticized the recently agreed upon four-hour humanitarian pauses that the Israeli military will institute to allow aid to circulate into Gaza.
"We need them to stop it from the get-go. Stop all of the killing. Biden has the power to do that," Hatem Abudayyeh of the Coalition for Justice in Palestine said.
Biden did not appear to acknowledge the protest Thursday evening.
Local
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed calls for a ceasefire, demanding the unconditional release of hostages while vowing to press ahead in a ground operation that began late last month aiming to end Hamas' control of the Gaza Strip.
According to the Associated Press, Netanyahu said Thursday that the Israeli government has no plans to govern or occupy the Gaza Strip following the conclusion of the war, leaving vast uncertainty over what could be next for the territory that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.
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