Protesters Demanding Ceasefire in Gaza Shut Down NYC’s Grand Central Terminal

Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal on Friday evening to demand a ceasefire in the Israeli conflict with Hamas.

Wearing black T-shirts with slogans saying “Jews Say Cease Fire” and “Cease Fire Now,” the protesters led to NYC’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority restricting access to the terminal.

The demonstration was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, according to the New York Times.

Videos and photos of the protest shared on social media show the terminal filled with protesters on Friday night. In one, shared by WBAI Radio host Rafael Shimunov, protesters can be heard clapping in unison and singing before breaking out into cheers. 

In a video shared by journalist Noah Hurowitz, they can be heard shouting in unison “the right to live is freedom.” Hurowitz also shared several photos of the protest, showing that protesters were holding signs that read “Palestinians should be free” and “mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”

While some reportedly left the area after they were warned that those remaining risked arrest, others appeared to have chosen to stay behind.

Videos and photos show police apparently arresting some of the protesters while others jeered the arrests.

Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7 and thousands of Israelis were killed, injured, raped and kidnapped. The Palestinian death toll, tracked and reported by the Hamas-ruled Gaza, has passed 7,300 as of Thursday, as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the rampage.

The protest in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal comes as the fight rages on in Gaza.

On the same day as the protest, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in support of a "humanitarian ceasefire" in the Israel/Hamas war. The United States voted against the resolution.