A group of roughly 40 pro-Palestine protesters assembled on the Pentacrest Sunday afternoon to speak publicly about the Israel-Hamas war.

Starting at 3 p.m., the protest included speeches from different organizations and chants from those in attendance. The protest was organized by Iowans for Peace, Veterans for Peace, and Iowans for Palestine.

Protesters held up the Palestinian flag and various signs calling for a ceasefire and for the American government to help reach a peaceful end of the war.

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Yaser AbuDagga, a coordinator with Iowans for Palestine, said there was a need to be even-handed when dealing with the issue.

“The same way that we condemn the killing of Israeli civilians, we need to condemn the killing of the Palestinian civilians and the suffering of the Palestinians,” AbuDagga said.

Newman Abuissa, chair of the Arab American Caucus in the Iowa Democratic Party, said the story is often one-sided, focusing on Israel. Abuissa said the U.S. government should stop giving money to Israel, who uses the funds to bomb civilians.

The U.S. government started delivering munitions and military equipment to Israel, according to an Oct. 9 AP report.

Abuissa said the protest is a call to the American public to become aware of what is being done in their names, as well as a stance for democracy, human rights, equal rights, and justice.

We are losing our moral authority and having weapons without morality is counterproductive,” Abuissa said.

Abuissa said the protest was held on the Pentacrest because it is a traditional location for people to speak out since the Old Capitol is a symbol of the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and Iowa as a whole.

Pat Minor, a coordinator with Iowans for Palestine, said Israel’s actions are against international law and drew comparison between the conflict in Gaza with that in Ukraine.

“I like to liken this situation to what’s happening in Ukraine, only Palestine is the Ukraine, and it was Israel who encroached on their property,” Minor said. “Why is it that we can’t see the similarities between that situation? Is it because the Palestinians are brown and not white?”

Minor hoped the protest would push people to contact their legislators.

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Rami Abu Hijleh, a resident of Coralville, also attended the protest to make people aware of the continued atrocities in Gaza.

“Nobody, nobody accepts or agrees with innocent people being killed, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians,” Abu Hijleh said. “So, this government needs to be fair in their dealing with the Middle East.”