LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A pro-Palestine rally was held on the Las Vegas Strip Saturday afternoon in the midst of the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
The rally had a large turnout as people marched from the Venetian to Caesars Palace. William Yaffe along with 200 others, waved Palestinian flags and held up signs in support of Palestine near the Venetian fountains.
“There is a lot of hurt and a lot of death on both sides,” Yaffe said. “We have to stop fighting and have a ceasefire now and start talking.”
Las Vegas is just one of the many cities around the world where pro-Palestine rallies are being held.
Lena Kaddoura, who has family ties to Palestine, said for the first time in her life she feels seen. Others also noted how vital it is for people to understand the severity of the situation right now.
“I’ve never heard the word Palestine so much in my entire life,” Kaddoura said. “This has woken up so many people. Parents from school have reached out to me.”
“We are trying to raise awareness that there are innocent people dying currently,” Deyaa Dabbagh said.
While these protests are in response to Israel’s retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1,400 people including civilians and soldiers, those who spoke at a pro-Israel rally a couple of weeks ago said the anti-Semitism they have encountered has been startling.
“It’s part of why we stopped having rallies on campus. We had one a couple weeks ago and we were dealing with a lot of hatred from students,” UNLV student Gaia Steinberg said.
Everyone 8 News Now spoke to advocated for peace. However, there were many people holding up signs that had statements like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is considered anti-Semitic language, according to the anti-defamation league.
