A protest outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. calling for a cease-fire in Gaza was broken up by US Capitol Police late Wednesday.
Police said officers were working to keep back nearly 150 people who they said are “illegally and violently protesting” in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
“Officers are making arrests. All members (of Congress) have been evacuated from the area. Please stay away from the area,” said the Capitol Police on X.
Social media footage showed police officers intervening against the protesters, who swarmed the door of the committee’s headquarters chanting “cease-fire now” and “Let Gaza Live.
The protesters, who were wearing black shirts that said “Cease Fire Now,” took candles to the protest to represent 11,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, but demonstrators say the police officers stepped on them.
Later, all US House buildings were locked down with no entry or exit due to “significant demonstration activity,” according to an alert published by Senator Marco Rubio.
The protest saw participation from members of groups such as If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
The government media office in Gaza on Wednesday announced that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women.