Protesters call for ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, ask for humanitarian aid
BALTIMORE -- The war overseas is uniting people in Baltimore.
Around 100 people gathered together in downtown Baltimore to attend a rally and march on behalf of the Palestinian people on Wednesday. Afterward, they marched to the office of Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.).
The group called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and asked that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow in Gaza. The war started after the terror group launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Recently, Israel started moving troops and armored vehicles over the border into Palestinian territory. The country has said that it has been trying to eliminate Hamas in the labyrinth of passages, shafts and rooms believed to stretch more than 300 miles and possibly to a depth of more than 200 feet.
The war has left hospitals in Gaza with limited supplies while injured civilians continue to seek medical attention.
In response, people in the Baltimore area gathered at Penn Station around 3 p.m. to call on Congress and President Joe Biden to protect the Palestinian people.
The rally then turned into a march to Mfume's office about a half mile away. Mfume represents Maryland's 7th congressional district.
There, the group urged the congressman's office to have Mfume sign the "Ceasefire Now" resolution, which demands de-escalation efforts, a ceasefire and more humanitarian aid.
"We came here as a community of Jews, of Palestinians, of people in solidarity to tell our representative to represent us and to vote for a ceasefire," Rabbi Ariana Katz of the Jewish Voice for Peace said.
Mfume issued a statemetn in response to the protest:
"I support a humanitarian pause of violence in the war between Israel and Hamas, the release of hostages, and the guarantee of safe corridors to ensure that aid flows into Gaza safely. I am not a cosponsor of H.Res. 786 because it fails to condemn the Hamas terrorist group of its responsibility for this war," said Congressman Mfume.
The rally included members of Jewish Voice for Peace Baltimore, IfNotNow Baltimore, the Ujima People's Progress Party, the Black Alliance for Peace, and Baltimore Palestine Solidarity, according to a press statement by the Jewish Voice for Peace Baltimore.
CBS News Staff contributed to this article.
