Hundreds gather in front of White House to protest Israel's attacks on Rafah

By Hakan Copur

WASHINGTON (AA) - Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the White House in the US capital Tuesday to protest Israel’s attack over the weekend on a tent camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, calling on the US government to end funding of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.

The protest was supported by several pro-Palestine groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Maryland for Palestine.

The protesters carried banners saying "Free Palestine," "End All US Funding of Israeli Apartheid," "All Eyes on Rafah" and "Stop This Slaughter.”

The protestors chanted "Stop bombing Rafah now" and "End the occupation now."

An Israeli airstrike on a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah killed at least 45 people Sunday and wounded nearly 250, said the Gaza-based Government Media Office.

The strike occurred near the logistics base of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Tal al-Sultan.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

Nearly 36,100 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.