US Jewish group protests in eight cities for Gaza ceasefire

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Item 1 of 3 Protesters from the national group Jewish Voice for Peace call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war during rallies across the U.S. marking the 8th night of Hanukkah as they block a highway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah Beier
[1/3]Protesters from the national group Jewish Voice for Peace call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war during rallies across the U.S. marking the 8th night of Hanukkah as they block a highway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah Beier Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
WASHINGTON/PHILADELPHIA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A Jewish group demanding a ceasefire in Israel's war in Gaza held protests on Thursday in eight U.S. cities on the eighth night of Hanukkah, blocking rush hour traffic on busy streets and bridges in Washington and Philadelphia.
In Washington, the group Jewish Voice for Peace said about 90 protesters blocked the overpass to New York Avenue in the northwestern part of the U.S. capital. Police said the demonstration closed the intersection of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street and urged people to use alternate routes.
"On the 8th night of Hanukkah, 8 cities, 8 bridges," Jewish Voice for Peace said on X, formerly called Twitter. "We are here, gathering across the country in massive, growing numbers, to say no more."
Demonstrations also occurred in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters briefly blocked the I-76 highway, and more than 30 arrests were made, a Reuters witness said. Protesters held signs and banners that read: "Let Gaza Live" and "Not in our name."
The United Nations on Tuesday demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, opens new tab in the Gaza Strip where Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas militants.
The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States since Oct. 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 240 hostages in a cross-border raid.
Since then, Israeli forces have besieged the coastal enclave and laid much of it to waste, with nearly 19,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
On Wednesday, anti-war activists blocked traffic, opens new tab on a busy Los Angeles highway during the morning rush hour and while some staff from the Biden administration also held a vigil demanding a ceasefire.

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Hannah Beier in Philadelphia; Editing by Heather Timmons and Cynthia Osterman

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Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

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