By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - A group of pro-Palestine demonstrators occupied the office of the president of Stanford University early Wednesday to demand the school divest from Israel because of Tel Aviv’s war in the Gaza Strip.
"At approximately 6:00 A.M. PDT, we, a group of Stanford University students and alumni, entered Stanford President Richard Saller's Office and successfully barricaded ourselves inside," according to a statement by the Stanford for Palestine group.
"As of this morning, Stanford University holds multi-million dollar investments in corporations that provide material and logistical support to Israel's current military campaign against Palestinian life, Including Hewlett Packard (HP), Lockheed Martin, and Chevron," it said.
CBS News, citing a school spokesperson, confirmed that demonstrators "unlawfully entered Building 10, which houses the offices of the president and provost."
"The Stanford Department of Public Safety has responded to the scene and is assessing the situation. Other campus operations have not been affected at this time," said the spokesperson.
About 10 students barricaded themselves in the building while 50 others linked arms outside, according to the Stanford Daily newspaper.
Israel has pounded Gaza in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7 which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 36,400 Palestinians have been since been killed in an Israeli offensive on the enclave, most of them women and children, with over 82,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at ICJ, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.