CHICAGO — Protestors gathered Monday inside Ogilvie Transportation Center near the Israeli Consulate to rally for a ceasefire in Gaza as the Palestinian death toll surpasses 11,000.
According to the Chicago Police Department, 106 people were arrested during the demonstration.
Jewish allies and supporters of the Palestinian cause gathered outside the Israeli Consulate, which sits in the same building as train center.
Three Jewish organizations, Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now and Never Again, organized the demonstration, hoping to bring light to Jews standing in solidarity with Palestinians.
The groups call for an end to the deadly attacks in Gaza that have claimed over 11,000 lives. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, two-thirds of those killed have been women and minors, though the ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. They also want water, food and electricity returned to Gaza to prevent further deaths.
“The protest in front of the Consulate today was not about peace,” Yinam Cohen, consul general of Israel to the Midwest, said in a statement. “Those who publicly support Hamas, a designated terrorist organization who murdered 1,400+ Israelis on Oct. 7, rip down American flags, and chant “from the River to the Sea” — a call to annihilate the State of Israel — do not represent peace.”
“It’s a fool’s errand to think that defending oneself is going to come through bombing, mass killings and exile, displacement, ethnic cleansing genocide — there’s no military solution. The way to safety is ceasefire,” protestor Daniel Epstein said.
Earlier this month, Jewish Voices for Peace staged a similar protest in Grand Central Station in New York City.
The protests started near Heritage Green Park and made its way to the transportation center.