Pro-Palestinian group marches in Chicago's Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) – The United Nations is sounding the alarm about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the death toll in the five-day-old Israel-Hamas war continues to climb.
Doctors Without Borders said the entire medical system in Gaza could collapse by the end of the week, and hospitals are running out of supplies and fuel to run generators.
People here in Chicago also voiced their concerns on Wednesday about the plight of the Palestinians at a downtown rally along busy Michigan Avenue.
The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine organized the march to protest what the group called "war crimes" by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
With Palestinian flags waving high and youngsters holstering the flag low, hundreds came out to speak out against what they call the massacre and war crimes committed by the Israeli military.
"Our loved ones are facing an onslaught of bombing at levels they've never seen before," said Deanna Othman, with the Chicago chapter of American Muslims for Palestine.
Othman said Israel's treatment of Palestinian civilians is part of why so many people gathered downtown on Wednesday. She wants people to understand those in Gaza are suffering too, especially after Israel cut off power with the power cut off and food being limited.
The Gaza Strip has been subject to an Israeli blockade for years, but that was tightened to stop the flow of all food, electricity and more in the wake of the Hamas assault. This blockade has led to a severe shortage of drinking water, impacting about 650,000 people, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
OCHA said Wednesday that more than 263,000 people have been displaced across Gaza since Israel began bombarding the territory in response to the Hamas terror attack on Saturday.
"Palestinians are a people under occupation like many that came before us, and they're simply trying to liberate themselves from this occupation," Othman said.
When Israel was established in 1948, many Palestinian refugees were forced to move to the Gaza Strip, a 25-mile stretch of land pressed against the Mediterranean sea, between Israel and Egypt. In 1967, Israel gained control of Gaza after its victory in the Six-Day War against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
A Palestinian uprising in 2000 unleashed a new wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, and Israel decided to leave Gaza in 2005, withdrawing its forces and removing some 9,000 Jewish settlers living there.
Soon after, Hamas defeated the Palestinian Authority, the governing body in charge of Palestinian-populated areas, in elections in Gaza. In 2007, the militant group expelled the Palestinian Authority and gained full control of the territory. Hamas, unlike the Palestinian Authority, doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist.
Hamas and other militant groups have managed to launch attacks against Israel from Gaza, using rockets, drones and ground operations. Israel has responded with numerous military campaigns that have damaged infrastructure in Gaza and led to the death of many civilians.
Hamas's capture of Gaza led to an Israeli air, sea and land blockade, and conditions in the territory have worsened for years, with Israel's critics referring to it as an "open-air prison." Most people rely on humanitarian aid and are unable to travel without Israeli permission.
While Hamas militants did attack Israel on Saturday, Palestinians in Chicago stressed the civilians living in Gaza have been suffering far too long.
"The Palestinian people are dying every day. It's not just what happened in Gaza. It's what's happening in the West Bank on a day-in day-out basis," Anas Askar said.
While the rally for the most part remained peaceful, there was also a very large Chicago police presence, and even those rallying said they understand why.
"They're out here for our safety and the people's safety," Askar said.
The rally eventually spilled over into the streets, with marchers hoping the fighting in Israel and Gaza ends.
"There should be a ceasefire, and actual peace talks," Askar said.