Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters in New York briefly blocked iconic bridges and a tunnel in the American metropolis on Monday to protest the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, AFP reported.

Since the start of Israel’s devastating bombardment of the Gaza Strip following the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7, New York has been alive with demonstrations in support of the Palestinians or Israel.

The multicultural city of 8.5 million souls is home to nearly two million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Muslims.

However, these manifestations transcend the community divide, and millions of people of all faiths live in the suburbs of New York, New Jersey (to the south and west), the Long Island Peninsula (to the east), and upscale Westchester County (to the north).

In a spectacular action under a bright blue winter sky, protesters tied and chained themselves to each other, to tires and chairs on the famous Brooklyn Bridge, which connects the borough of the same name with the island of Manhattan, AFP journalists noticed.

“This is important because there has to be a ceasefire (in Gaza). It’s important to disrupt everyday life to show that the siege of Gaza must end,” said Olivia Levine, a 31-year-old actress and writer.

Under the slogan “Free Palestine!”, she said, “this is just the beginning” of the demonstrations, as New York and its suburbs have been rocked by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel actions, mostly peaceful, for three months now and on an almost daily basis. .

Dozens of police intervened to disperse and question protesters clinging to the infrastructure of the Brooklyn Bridge, while other coordinated movements took place on the twin Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River.

Dozens of protesters were also arrested for blocking traffic at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, which connects New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said calm and traffic had returned to normal by late morning, but did not say how many people had been arrested.