CHICAGO — As the death toll in Gaza climbs, Palestinian-Americans and allies flooded downtown Chicago to protest.

On Saturday, protestors gathered at Michigan and Wacker for about an hour before marching through the streets of downtown.

The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine said they will continue protesting until there’s a ceasefire.

“We need everyone to pressure their congressman, we need a ceasefire now,” Dunyah Abulaban, from the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, said.

Thousands of Palestinian Americans and allies gathered to protest against the onslaught of Israeli bombings that have now killed more than 7,000 Palestinians trapped in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

“Our taxpayer dollars are going overseas to commit, you know, the genocide that is happening and if we don’t stop it right now, it will be more hundreds of thousands of people that will be killed,” Husam Marajda, from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said.

Organizers of the protest say nearly 3,000 of those killed in Gaza are children. Some at the rally carried makeshift coffins to represent the lives taken.

“We want to commemorate their lives in a way where they’re not forgotten. They’re not just names,” Marajda said.

Israeli forces have struck public telecom infrastructure in Gaza, creating a near blackout for communications in the territory.

“Everyone please speak up. Do whatever you can. Post on your Instagram stories speak up in social settings, at work,” Abulaban said.

Organizers say Saturday’s rally is the sixth protest hosted by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine since Oct. 7.

WGN-TV News reached out to the Israeli consulate for a statement and has not yet heard back.