By Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Abdel Qadder Al-Sabbah, Zeena Saifi, Abeer Salman and Kareem Khadder, CNN
(CNN) — Gatherings of people across north and central Gaza on Wednesday expressed gratitude to students on US college campuses who have been protesting the war in Gaza.
In Deir al-Balah, in front of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, doctors, nurses, and medical staff held signs with messages that included “United against genocide,” “The killing of children must stop,” and “Keep on fighting for justice.”
Dr. Saad Abu Sharban told CNN he was “over the moon” at images of protesters in other countries, because it meant “that around the world there are human beings who know what is happening here in Gaza Strip right now.”
Palestinians in Gaza have been showing support for the US protesters for several days. In several refugee camps in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, children could also be seen holding signs and banners with the names of different American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held, saying “thanks for your solidarity!”
The public appreciation from people in Gaza come amid growing controversy in the US over the campus demonstrations, which have spread across the country in recent weeks amid mounting tensions over Israel’s war on Hamas, launched after the terror group’s October 7 attack that left more than 1,200 dead.
The protests in the US are broadly aimed at demanding an end to Israel’s devastating assault in the Palestinian enclave, which has killed more than 34,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry, and is nearing its eighth month.
But critics say some demonstrations have crossed the line into anti-semitism. Israel has claimed the protests are being manipulated by “outside agitators.”
Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan denounced the university demonstrations in a speech to the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
The speech in the General Assembly followed a Security Council vote last month on a resolution that would have recognized a Palestinian state. That vote was vetoed by the US.
Erdan lashed out at his UN colleagues, accusing the General Assembly of spreading anti-Israel rhetoric which he claimed had helped galvanize the protesters. He yelled “shame” toward the countries seated in the hall.
Meanwhile, Shiraz university in Iran’s Fars province has offered scholarships to students from universities in the US and Europe who are expelled over the protests.
Additional reporting by Artemis Moshtaghian and Richard Roth.
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