More than 100 protesters gathered Saturday along North Yale Avenue to call for an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Demonstrators, organized by the group Oklahomans Against Occupation, put up signs and chanted slogans above a section of I-244. The protest coincided with others around the country in a "global day of action for Palestine."
Organizer Emma Irving says the protest was in response to a possible Israeli offensive in Rafah, where millions of Palestinians have fled.
"For these past few months, [the Israeli military has] been telling these innocent Palestinians, ‘Go to Rafah, that’s where you’ll find refuge,’" Irving said. "In reality, they’ve just been bombing that path.”
Erum Quadeer brought her two young daughters to the protest. She became emotional when describing the images she's seen from Gaza.
"They're fed, they're clean, they're bathed," Quadeer said, looking at her two children drawing signs on the sidewalk. "There's people across the world that don't have any of that. They don’t have safety. Their hospitals, their schools are being bombed. There’s just no justice right now.”
Mohamed Alasmri came to the protest with his mother. He said he has friends who live in the occupied West Bank also experiencing effects from the bombardment.
“Not only have they seen what’s going on in Gaza, but there’s been raids on their houses in the West Bank," he said. "It’s horrible to hear.”
Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate ceasefire for the first time Sunday, adding a hostage deal also must be agreed upon between Israel and Hamas.
