Police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked traffic and the entrance of two major airports in Los Angeles and New York on Wednesday in a demonstration against the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, forcing some travellers to set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadways. This came when US airlines were witnessing a rush of holiday travel.
The protesters blocked traffic around Los Angeles International Airport and New York's John F Kennedy International Airport - considered two of the country's busiest airports. The demonstrations became unruly later on, leading to the arrest of 36 people, according to the LA Police Department.
According to local reports, the demonstrators carried banners saying "free Palestine" and "divest from genocide," in opposition to Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip over the past 11 weeks, which has claimed the lives of nearly 21,000 people and displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population.
'Disorderly conduct by protesters'
"Protesters threw a police officer to the ground, used construction debris, road signs, tree branches and blocks of concrete to obstruct" a road leading to the airport while "attacking uninvolved passersby in their vehicles", the police said in a statement.
Most of those arrested were booked on rioting charges and at least one was arrested for battery on a police officer, according to the statement. Airport police said that the entrance to the LA complex was reopened within around 45 minutes with "no impacts to flights".
Meanwhile, at least 26 people were arrested for disorderly conduct and impeding vehicular traffic during a protest along the Van Wyck Expressway inside JFK Airport in New York's Queens, according to the Port Authority Police Department. The police dispatched two airport buses that offered rides to travellers caught in the traffic pileup to help them reach the airport safely. The roadway was reopened after about 20 minutes, police said.
Concerns over Israel-Hamas war
The protests came as the UN health agency reported thousands of people trying to flee fighting that has devastated almost the entire Palestinian enclave since the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people.
A fierce Israeli counterattack on Gaza by air, land and sea has killed at least 21,000 and wounded more than 55,000 others, according to the Gaza health ministry. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. The rising death toll has sparked international alarm, with many countries calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Israeli forces continued to bomb cities, towns and refugee camps across Gaza overnight and into Thursday, killing dozens of people in an air and ground offensive against Hamas that has widened to most of the territory. Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas — which is still putting up stiff resistance, even in the north — and bring back more than 100 hostages still held by the militants after their Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel.
The United States — while providing crucial support for the offensive — has urged Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians and allow in more aid. But aid workers say the amount of food, fuel and medical supplies entering is still far below what is needed, and 1 in 4 Palestinians in Gaza are starving, according to UN officials.
(with inputs from agencies)
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