Thousands of people demonstrated in central New York on Friday to demand an end to “Israeli colonization” and to condemn the United States’ support for Israel, as well as to express their concerns about military operations in Gaza, AFP and Agerpres reported.

In the metropolis, the intersection of all communities and religions on Broadway near Times Square saw numerous Palestinian flags carried by demonstrators.

The demonstrators, mostly young men of various origins and wearing kufis and headscarves, called for the “liberation of Palestine” and accused Israel of “genocide”, seven days after bloody attacks by Hamas killed more than a thousand civilians in Israel.

Since then, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip relentlessly and called on civilians to leave the north of the territory, announcing a large-scale ground offensive.

Demonstrations of support for the Palestinian cause or vigils and demonstrations of solidarity with Israeli victims of Hamas attacks have been taking place in New York City, a metropolis of 8-9 million residents, including up to 2 million Jews, since last Saturday.

As in the rest of the United States, many gatherings are held on college campuses, such as the prestigious Columbia University.