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Pro-Palestinian rally in Midtown Atlanta
Hundreds of people gathered peacefully in midtown Atlanta Thursday night for a rally in support of Palestinians as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
ATLANTA - Hundreds of supporters of Palestine gathered in Midtown Atlanta on Thursday for a rally as the conflict overseas between Israel and Hamas continues.
Organizers have urged supporters to show solidarity for Palestine and to stand together for justice and human rights.
The group was seen at around 8 p.m. near Spring and 14th streets. Atlanta police officers were seen blocking traffic as the parade of marchers moved down the Midtown roadway. The crowd moved throughout the streets holding placards and chanting.
About an hour earlier and a mile southwest, on the campus of Georgia Tech University, pro-Israeli supporters were finishing up a vigil.
The group was praying for an end to the growing wave of antisemitism and for those injured, killed or held hostage during a Hamas attack.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration says Israel will allow a 4-hour humanitarian pause each day in combat operations in northern Gaza to allow civilians to flee to the south, starting on Thursday.
Biden also told reporters that he had asked the Israelis for a "pause longer than three days" during negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas, although he ruled out the chances of a general cease-fire.
In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron opened a Gaza aid conference with an appeal for Israel to protect civilians, saying that "all lives have equal worth" and that fighting terrorism "can never be carried out without rules."
The war, now in its second month, was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack int southern Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protesters take to the streets of Midtown Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2023. (GDOT)
The number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen to 10,818, including more than 4,400 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said.
In the occupied West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the violence and Israeli raids. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them in the Hamas attack, and 239 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group.
Israel occupied Gaza from 1967 until 2005, when it pulled up settlements and withdrew soldiers. Two years later, Hamas took over. Some Israelis blame the withdrawal from Gaza for the sporadic violence that has persisted since then.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.