UPDATE - Protesters demand cease-fire at March for Gaza rally in Washington DC

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday in Washington DC for a march and rally to demand a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and an end to US military aid to Israel.

The rally, organized by the American Muslim Task Force on Palestine, ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and Racism), started with remarks from Americans whose families have been killed in Gaza.

Alaa Hussein Ali, from the state of Michigan, said he lost 100 family members, including more than 60 children, in Gaza in what he called a “genocide.”

He said his brother went looking for water for a “dangerous trip” from the north to the south of Gaza, but never came back as he was killed by an Israeli sniper.

“He was shot several times in his chest. And he was found five days later in one of the hospitals in Gaza,” he said.

Adam, who is a Palestinian-American pharmacist from Gaza, said he lost more than 100 family members, including his father, in the Israeli offensive.

“Israel killed a man who loved life, loved peace, loved people, loved nature. And most of all, he loved his grandkids,” he said.

“The tale of each family member who was murdered is a testimony of ongoing genocide of my Palestinian people,” he said. “President Biden can easily put a stop to this genocide.”

“He can easily pick up the phone and call Israel to stop this madness,” he added.

The crowd chanted: “Free Palestine”, “Ceasefire Now”, and “End the occupation” while holding signs that read: “End the war on Gaza” and “Let Gaza Live.”

The rally continued with speeches from prominent activists, community leaders and celebrities before protesters marched through the streets of the US capital.

Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza, Wael al-Dahdouh, whose wife, daughter, two sons and a grandchild were killed in Israeli attacks, was among those addressing the crowd via video link, in addition to US presidential candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein, and Ilyasah Shabazz, who is the daughter of Malcolm X.

Noting that 112 journalists and photographers have been killed in airstrikes in the last three months, al-Dahdouh said the number has not been seen in any other war, including the 20 years of the Vietnamese war.

“It would seem that the Israeli occupation does not like us to do our duty to the fullest,” he said. “We guarantee you that we will persist in carrying this message, and in fulfilling this duty.”

One of the organizers, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Friday that it sent a letter to US President Joe Biden and urged him to “stop supporting the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza.” It warned that his policy on Gaza has “severely” damaged his relationship with Muslim communities.

More than 23,800 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack, according to health authorities in Gaza. About 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the initial Hamas attack.

Israel's military campaign has also caused mass displacement, destruction and hunger with hundreds of thousands of residents living without shelter.

Israel is accused of the "crimes of genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as the International Court of Justice in The Hague held public hearings Thursday and Friday as part of the beginning of a case filed last month by South Africa.