Pro-Palestinian groups gather outside White House to protest Israeli war in Gaza, Netanyahu’s visit

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Pro-Palestinian groups gathered Tuesday outside the White House in Washington, DC to protest Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The demonstration came as Trump hosted Netanyahu in the Oval Office for talks.

Netanyahu's visit to the US capital comes as a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas continues to hold in Gaza, where more than 47,500 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.

Waving Palestinian flags, the protestors chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Stop hosting a war criminal."

They also held signs saying “Prime Minister of Genocide," “Netanyahu is a War Criminal" and "Israel Kills."

The protesters also called for the arrest of Netanyahu, who is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Trump said Monday that he cannot guarantee that the ceasefire in Gaza will hold and told reporters in the Oval Office that he has "no assurances" that the truce will remain in force.

"I've seen people brutalized. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. No, I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold," he said.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Trump reiterated his suggestion of moving Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, saying "I don't think people should be going back to Gaza."