Hundreds of Bay Area high schoolers walked out of class Wednesday to show their support for the people of Gaza as part of a nationwide student walkout calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
In San Francisco, about 150 students participated in a rally and march at Lowell High School.
"We are here together to show unity against the genocide that is occurring in Gaza and to stand against the violation of humanitarian rights that have been going on," Lowell High School walkout organizer Helena Awwad said.
For some of those who walked out, the protest was personal because they have family members living in Gaza.
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"I do not know who in my family is dead right now," Zayna Elkarra said.
Organizers hope other students viewed the walkout as a sign that they can get involved and work to save lives.
"Our call to action: we want a ceasefire, we want all innocent civilians to be taken care of and to be safe right now," Awwad said. "It's very important to us that there is a ceasefire. No innocent people should be dying."
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On the steps of San Francisco City Hall, Arab Resource and Organizing Center Executive Director Lara Kiswani also shared a call to action
"We are calling on people to do better," Kiswani said. "We are calling on our local officials as well as the federal government to do what it can to demand an immediate ceasefire to this war and to demand an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people."
San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen was among those in support of the walkout. Her father lives in Israel, and her message on Wednesday was simple: the violence must stop.
"This is what the beginning of genocide looks like," she said. "Having had family members that survived the camps during the Holocaust, I have always and will always fight against genocide."
Not everyone was supportive of Wednesday's protests, with some saying they ignore the terrorist attack by Hamas that sparked the most recent round of violence.
Many students said the focus now needs to be on halting all violence and saving the civilians caught in the middle.
Student walkouts also took place across the bay, including at Berkeley High School, as well as in various cities nationwide, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
The walkouts come in the wake of Tuesday's blast at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of patients and civilians were killed while seeking safety. Hamas says an Israeli airstrike caused the explosion.
Israeli officials say one of the rockets fired at Israel by Palestinian Islamic jihad went off course and may have blown up an arms depot hidden by Hamas at the hospital.
On Tuesday night, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil at San Francisco’s Dolores Park, where community members condemned Israel as well as the United States for supporting Israel.
"We need a ceasefire, because Gaza does not have infrastructure to be able to attend to the very basic needs of just providing people to continue living, to be alive!" said Eyyad Haddad, of the Palestinian Youth Movement.
The consulate general of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, Marco Semoneta, says the only option left for Israel is the complete and total destruction of Hamas.
