Pro-Palestinian rally held in NYC Saturday to call for cease-fire in Gaza
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A large pro-Palestinian rally took place in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Saturday, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
On Friday, a massive pro-Palestinian rally with thousands of protesters took place in Midtown, denouncing Israel's aggression in Gaza and calling for a cease-fire.
NewsCopter 7 was over the group that started in Union Square and then joined another group that was protesting at the New York Public Library.
The group at the library was so massive, a platoon of officers patrolled out front.
The crowd blocked traffic as the protestors then marched downtown to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station.
The protests were peaceful, but there was a significant backup of traffic as demonstrators marched in the streets during the height of the evening rush.
North end Grand Central Terminal access reopened after doorways were restricted temporarily because of a demonstration in the area.
No arrests were made after Friday night's protests.
One Jewish woman spoke to Eyewitness News about why she chose to support the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
"The irony is if Israel is claiming this is a question of security, they are creating so much more violence because if you want to radicalize people, it's amazing PR to see innocent children, women, civilians being eviscerated by bombs, losing their limbs," protester Katie Halper said.
The protests come as Israel defense forces work to expose a network of Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
Israel has released video of what it says is a tunnel shaft on the grounds of the Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, which it first raided two nights ago.
Israel and the U.S. agree Hamas runs its operation from beneath places like Al-Shifa, and that it's where the terror group plotted the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis when they kidnapped 240 hostages and plunged the region into war.
"The extent of the tunnel network is being exposed, we're seeing blast doors at the end of the tunnel so it's obviously a terror tunnel," said Lt. Colonel Peter Lerner of the IDF.
But to expose the tunnels, Israel has laid waste to Gaza City, once home to a million people, most of whom have made a desperate white flag-waving pilgrimage to the south.
"We're worried about basic supplies like diapers, you know all the things anyone needs for their child we're just having trouble getting enough into the area," said Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF.
Meanwhile, protests against Israel continue around the world amid a stunning rise in antisemitic hate crimes and hate speech.
At a Midtown synagogue Friday night, Mayor Eric Adams vowed to protect Jews in New York City.
"You are not going to have to live in a city you have to take off your yarmulke if you take a subway ride," Adams said. "You won't live imprisoned with fear as long as I'm the mayor of the city of New York."
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