MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) - Thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Friday night to protest against the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, which killed around 850 Palestinians according to the latest information, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The demonstration, which was attended by up to three thousand people, was held not far from Times Square, the magazine said. Protesters called on the US government to stop aiding Israel, many of them were carrying Palestinian flags and anti-war signs.
"We're trying to break the siege and end the killing in Palestine. We just want them to live like human beings," one of the demonstrators, Ramsey Jamal, told the Jerusalem Post.
Earlier, several Middle East countries have already expressed dissatisfaction with the Israeli military actions. For instance, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the ground offensive in Gaza and held Israel responsible for the death of civilians. A similar position was taken by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, which called for an immediate cessation of rocket attacks on the Palestinian enclave and urged the United States to take measures to curb the "Israeli aggression."
On Saturday, a 12-hour long ceasefire agreement entered into force in the Gaza Strip. It will be the longest period of the ceasefire in the 19-days operation against Palestinian militants.
At the same time, a meeting of Foreign Ministers of numerous intermediaries is expected to be held in France. The ministers will try to offer the belligerents a new truce plan for a longer term. On Friday, the Israeli military and political office rejected a 7-day long ceasefire plan, according to the local media.
