The California highway patrol arrested a group of Gaza pro-ceasefire protesters on Wednesday morning after blocking the Los Angeles highway during the demonstration.
Hundreds of people attended the demonstration and caused traffic for more than an hour during the morning commute. The traffic resulted in tense physical confrontations as commuters tried to remove people from the road.
Police Arrested Gaza Pro-ceasefire Protesters
People demonstrate in support of Palestine during the Los Angeles Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation rally and protest from the US Federal Building to the Consulate of Israel on May 15, 2021 in Los Angeles. - Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied in cities across North America on Saturday, calling for an end to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip as the worst violence in years flared between the Jewish state and Islamist militants.
According to NBC Los Angeles, police arrested 75 people during the demonstration. The protest blocked all six southbound traffic lanes, creating a halt that stretched for miles. However, several cars appeared to have stalled due to mechanical problems, adding to traffic headaches, while some vehicles were removed by tow trucks.
The US has been active in participating in major protests about the war since the conflict began in October. On Monday, at least 50 people were arrested in Washington DC at a rally calling for the US to support the permanent ceasefire.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people assembled outside the office of the US senator Alex Padilla in California to demand an immediate ceasefire. A demonstration in Los Angeles shut down a portion of Hollywood Boulevard last month, while dozens of protesters were arrested in San Francisco after blocking the Bay Bridge.
On Wednesday's protest in Los Angeles, a video posted by IfNotNow, the group showed people chanting while linking their arms in front of stuck cars. The protesters wore shirts that read "not in our name" and "Jews say ceasefire now."
"We cannot allow business as usual to continue, as Palestinians are murdered with impunity," the group said as they closed the freeway.
Journalists' footage showed drivers trying to remove protesters from the road, pulling and dragging them as other protesters joined the commotion. One protester was briefly pinned against a car by a driver.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the remaining protesters left at about 10:30 am, and two lanes reopened. The remainder of the freeway was expected to open at noon.
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Israel-Hamas War
The October 7 attack by Hamas resulted in more than 18,000 Palestinians dead and killed 1,200 Israelis. In response to the attack, Israel retaliated, which blocked supply lines of necessities to the Gaza population, including fuel and water.
Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on the densely inhabited territory between October 7 and 12 that killed at least 18,415 people, primarily women and children. The UN reported that nearly 1 million Palestinians in Gaza have been forced from their homes.
Israel released a total of 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for 105 hostages freed by Hamas during the temporary ceasefire. The brief humanitarian pause was an arrangement diplomats had tried to extend before it collapsed into a rising number of deaths.
After the seventh-day truce, the Israeli government eventually accepted a proposal for Hamas to release just eight new Israeli hostages and agreed to release two Israeli-Russian hostages.
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