ATLANTA — Hundreds of people gathered in Atlanta Thursday night, rallying for the people of Palestine.
The rally is one of many across the world Thursday planned as a part of a global day of action for Palestine. This comes weeks after the Hamas militant group's unprecedented attack on Israel.
Since then, the Associated Press reported that more than 10,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory, since the Oct. 7th massacre by Hamas, which took the lives of at least 1,400 people in Israel.
People near and far are calling for the Israel-Hamas conflict to end. People gathered at the Consulate General of Israel in Midtown Atlanta on Spring Street for a rally and overnight sit-in Thursday night. They hope their presence will send a strong message.
11Alive's Faith Jesse was there in Midtown as people gathered in unison. She captured videos and photos of the protest.
The group came together peacefully with signs and flags as police sirens glared loudly nearby. The crowd continued to chant; the sirens eventually ceased.
Seeing the war and death in Gaza is personal for Besan Saleh of the Palestinian Youth Movement.
“Everyone in Palestine is my family. Everyone in Gaza is my family. When I see the people in Gaza and Palestine being massacred, I see my brothers, my sisters, my aunts, my uncles," Saleh said.
One protester, Anna Parra-Jordan, shared with 11Alive's Dawn White her thoughts on what's been happening as a result of the war.
“I don't think that what anybody is seeing online, murder, the bombings, the restriction of humanitarian aid, I don't think anybody can watch that and think that's OK and a fair response to anything that's happened," Parra-Jordan said.
The overnight sit-in is expected to continue until 10 a.m.