During a speech by U.S. President Joe Biden in South Carolina, aimed at boosting his 2024 re-election campaign, his address was disrupted by individuals advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The interruption occurred at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic site where nine Black congregants were tragically killed in a 2015 hate crime by a white supremacist.
A protestor called out to President Biden, urging him to honor the lives lost at the church by advocating for a ceasefire in Palestine.
Concurrently, in New York, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked key bridges and a tunnel in Manhattan, protesting against what they termed as ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.
These protests coincided with another instance where President Biden’s speech was interrupted by calls for him to push for a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with an estimated 8,000 deaths, including children, with many victims being infants and young children.
Among the Israeli casualties, 953 were reported killed on October 7th, 2023, in an attack by Hamas fighters from Gaza.
Out of these, around 600 were civilians, and recent evidence suggests that some Israeli civilian deaths were not due to Hamas, but rather to Israeli airstrikes and tank fire.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 23,084, with 58,926 injured since October 7th of last year.
The Ministry reported that 249 people were killed, and 510 were injured in the past 24 hours due to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The majority of the victims are women and children.
