Dozens of protesters in Durham call for end to Rafah invasion, immediate ceasefire
More than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Wednesday in Durham, calling for Israel to stop its invasion of Rafah in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire.
The demonstration comes after an Israeli airstrike killed dozens of civilians at a tent camp in Rafah.
“Israel can’t just do anything it wants with our tax dollars,” Rudy Sinreich with Mothers for Ceasefire said.
The Israeli military said an airstrike over the weekend killed two Hamas leaders and more than 40 Palestinians in a tent encampment in Rafah.
Several protesters were angry about what they say is conflicting messaging for civilians unable to evacuate Gaza.
“Palestinians have been told to move to different regions of Gaza. They listen to directions and are continuously attacked in the next place they move,” Nadeen Bir said.
Protests of Israel’s war with Hamas have popped up across North Carolina and the country since Israel declared war on Hamas.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and killed at least 1,200 people.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its death tolls.
Earlier in May, President Joe Biden said the United States would stop supplying Israel with weapons if Israel launched a major invasion in Rafah. Many at the protest asked why the airstrike was not a red line.
“People are dismembered [and] burned,” Bir said. “Horrific activities happened to a place designated by Israel as a safe zone.”
According to National Security Communications Advisor Admiral John Kirby, the incident did not cross a red line that would prompt any changes in American support.
“Nobody was asking me about red lines a week or so ago when there were other airstrikes in Rafah that didn’t cause civilian casualties,” Kirby said. “This is an airstrike. It’s not a major ground operation. It’s different.”
As Israel’s war with Hamas continues, protesters say they will not stop exercising their right to voice their displeasure.
