Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Denver block Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard as part of global strike
Dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters in Denver took to the streets Monday on the second day of a worldwide effort to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel's occupation of the occupied territories.
A number of demonstrators spoke out against the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel and U.S. support for the Israeli government while blocking the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard.
Organizers of a "global strike for Gaza" say they want a ceasefire and are calling for people to walk out of school and work, boycott companies they say support the occupation and general protests and disruption from Jan. 21 to 28.
One speaker said U.S. officials need to be accountable to all their constituents: "They're Palestinian, they're Muslim, they're Jewish. Everyone needs to be represented." Attendees held signs that read "end U.S. aid to Israel," "stand with Palestine! End the occupation now!" "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," and "free all Palestinian political prisoners," among others.
Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed -- about 1% of Gaza's entire population and over 10,000 of whom are children -- since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza attacked southern Israel. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack and about 250 hostages were taken.
The U.N., the World Health Organization and other health organizations have called the situation in Gaza a humanitarian crisis as 60,000 people have been reported injured and over 85% of the population displaced.
The Health Ministry in Gaza, though run by Hamas, has consistently reported similar numbers of casualties as the United Nations and the Israeli government.
RELATED: Gaza's death toll surpasses 25,000, Health Ministry says
Israel's offensive in Gaza has sent swells of people seeking shelter in areas designated as safe by Israel, but which the Israeli military has nevertheless also bombed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until "complete victory" over Hamas, and in order to return around 100 hostages who are still held in Gaza.
The January strike is being supported by groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and, locally, the Denver and Party for Socialism and Liberation.