More than 300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters march for Gaza in Washington DC

More than 300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched together at Washington DC’s Freedom Plaza on Saturday, calling for a cease-fire and for the siege to end in the Gaza Strip.

The peaceful protest, organised with the participation of over 500 groups from around the country, called for an immediate cease-fire.

The protesters then marched to the White House.

Nine groups were mainly involved in the organisation of the protest — The Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslim Alliance, The People’s Forum, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Al Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Maryland2Palestine and Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).

The groups arranged transportation for people from 22 states, including Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.

Nearly 9,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, since Israel began a bombing and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

“We formed this coalition, a small group of organizations, 15 days ago and if you walk around here now we can see that in two weeks' time, there has come together the largest demonstration in US history to support the Palestinian people,” said Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the ANSWER coalition.

US officials have so far resisted calling for a general cease-fire, but have urged humanitarian ‘pauses’ to allow civilians to exit Gaza and for aid to come in.

Doctors Without Borders, which has physicians providing care on the ground in Gaza, called for a cease-fire.

“This is a new low in an endless stream of unconscionable violence. The repeated strikes on hospitals, ambulances, densely populated areas and refugee camps are disgraceful. How many people have to die before world leaders wake up and call for a cease-fire?” the group asked in a Tweet.