Hundreds detained during protest near US Capitol

More than 300 individuals were taken into custody close to the US Capitol following a demonstration against the Israel-Hamas conflict.

More people may be arrested soon, so the number could go up. The police mentioned that they have already charged three individuals with attacking a police officer.

Many people were caught by the police in the Cannon House Office Building. This is a place where protests are not allowed.

The people protesting asked President Joe Biden and Congress to work towards stopping the fighting in Gaza.

The protest in Washington DC was planned by two smaller, left-leaning Jewish organizations, Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now. These groups are against the State of Israel.

The police blocked off streets near the Capitol building on Wednesday because a lot of protesters were walking in the road.
Some of the group then went inside a building called the Cannon House Office Building, where congressional staff work. Hundreds of additional people gathered outside the building. They sang in both Hebrew and English.

The people inside were wearing black T-shirts with the words “Jews say stop fighting now” and “Not in our name”. Some people held signs that said “Stop fighting” and sang songs while sitting on the ground in the rotunda.

The Capitol police told the protesters to stop their demonstration and when they didn’t listen, we started arresting them.
Some people were seen getting their hands tied with plastic handcuffs and being taken away in vans by the police. Three people who were taken into custody were later accused of attacking a police officer.

A person leading a protest at the Capitol used a loudspeaker to ask for “fairness, fairness, and the ability to do what we want”.

“The woman said that the only way to be truly safe is to calm down and deal with the main reasons behind this terrible violence. ”

The protest happened when President Biden arrived in Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team.

Mr Biden said that Israel had the right to retaliate for the Hamas attack on October 7th, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people.

Palestinian health officials say that around 3,000 people have died in Israeli attacks on Gaza as revenge.