ISTANBUL

Protesters gathered outside the Trump International Hotel in New York on Monday to protest Israel’s starvation policy in Gaza.

The protest, organized by Jewish-American anti-occupation group IfNotNow, drew hundreds to Columbus Circle under the banner “Trump: Jews Say No More,” calling for an end to the war in Gaza and greater access for much-needed humanitarian aid.

Protesters also held signs reading “Stop ethnic cleansing,” “Never again is now,” “Stop starving Gaza,” and “Not in our name,” Britain’s The Guardian reported.

“Let’s not mince words, the Israeli government’s blockade of Gaza is a policy of ethnic cleansing by way of forced mass starvation,” said Morriah Kaplan, IfNotNow’s interim executive director, in a speech.

She added that the US government needs to “use its considerable leverage to end these horrors.”

The New York Police Department intervened in the protest, arresting more than 40 people.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.