New York, New York - Thousands of New Yorkers hit the streets on Sunday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people as violence erupts and war alarms sound in Israel and Gaza.

Chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and "Long live Palestine," protesters marched from Times Square to near both the Israeli Consulate and the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The action followed Saturday's surge in violence that has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded after militant group Hamas launched a deadly assault from Gaza. The Israeli government responded by hammering blockaded Gaza – often described as the world's largest open-air prison – with heavy air strikes.

Many human rights advocates have said the only way to guarantee peace in the region is by ending the State of Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestine and the United States' complicity in the matter.

Crime Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction overturned by New York court

Party for Socialism and Liberation presidential candidate Claudia De la Cruz joined the Manhattan rally for Palestinian freedom, leading chants and demanding a stop to US support for Israel's apartheid regime.

"Who is the terrorist? The United States of America. The biggest purveyor of violence around the world," De la Cruz, so far the staunchest supporter of Palestinians of the 2024 candidates, told the crowd.

"We have the historic responsibility of defeating Israeli colonialism and US imperialism because they are both married at the hip. You can't have one without the other," she continued.

"We are here in solidarity because ain't no one free until Palestine is free."

The same day, a separate protest in New York City brought out several hundred people waving Israeli flags and denouncing Hamas' attack.

Many Democratic elected officials in New York were quick to condemn the rally for Palestinian rights, but not the pro-Israel protest.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the Palestinian freedom action as "abhorrent and morally repugnant," while NYC Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X, "At a moment when innocent people are being slaughtered and children kidnapped in Israel, it is disgusting that this group of extremists would show support for terrorism. I reject this. New York City rejects this. Do not use our streets to spread your hate."

"I can't think of anything more ill-timed and cold-hearted than today's demonstration in Times Square," US Senator Chuck Schumer added on the platform.

On Saturday evening, the New York branches of Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, and other groups marched to Schumer's Brooklyn home calling for an end to US military funding for Israel.

President Joe Biden has pledged continued US government support to Israel – amounting to over $150 billion in US taxpayer dollars (not adjusting for inflation) to date – and is moving warships and other military assets closer to the Middle Eastern country.

The situation is further complicated by waves of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic sentiment worldwide as the crisis continues to unfold.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stoked alarm by ordering a "full siege" on Gaza: "No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly."