A group of protesters overran the cafeteria of the Dirksen Senate Office building on Tuesday as part of a demonstration in support of sending food to Gaza and ending U.S. arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict.
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in response to an Oct. 7 Hamas raid that saw its forces kill roughly 1,200 civilians and take more than 200 hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) subsequently invaded the coastal region in a bid to remove Hamas from power, though their efforts have prompted international outcry over the reported civilian death toll.
At least 60 demonstrators with Christians for a Free Palestine took part in the disruption, while Capitol Police said they ultimately arrested around 50 of them, The Hill reported. The organization, however, claimed 60 demonstrators had been arrested, among them 30 members of the clergy.
"They [protestors] announced that they would not leave or let anyone get food in the Senate Cafeteria until nourishing food is sent to Gaza and the U.S. stops funding the bombs that have killed over 33,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7," the organization told the outlet.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has exacerbated mounting tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the invasion, with President Joe Biden repeatedly criticizing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warning him against attacking Rafah, a critical crossing with Egypt to which many refugees have fled the Israeli onslaught.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has indicated he will ignore Biden's warnings and announced Monday that the IDF had set a date for exactly such an attack.
Related Story: Netanyahu Says Israel Has Date to Enter Rafah Amid Hostage Negotiations
