Police removed and arrested demonstrators occupying buildings at both the Univeristy of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago campuses Friday night as protests erupted once again over the Israel-Hamas War.

The police action occurred on the East Coast as a group of protesters tried to storm Fisher-Bennett Hall on Penn's campus, the university reported in a statement on its website. 

"Penn Police, with support from Philadelphia Police, escorted them out and secured the building, taking several individuals into custody," it said. 

"The situation remains active," the statement added. 

The attempts coincide with Penn's Alumni Weekend events, taking place just days before the university's commencement Monday. 

Meanwhile, at the University of Chicago, protesters were briefly able to take over a campus building on Friday before they were ejected and arrested by police, Bloomberg reported.

Officer were "able to enter the building, and the protesters inside the building exited," confirmed university spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan in a statement. 

Friday's clashes were among the most serious since colleges, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Penn, cleared protest encampments last week. 

Universities nationwide continue to grapple with a wave of protests as students demand that Israeli assaults on Gaza cease, and call for college divestment from entities linked to Israel.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks launched in retaliation for a Hamas assault on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and seized hundreds of hostages.