More than 75 Iowa City residents rallied on the Pentacrest Friday as part of International Day of Action for Gaza, as they signified the second anniversary of the deadly Israel-Hamas war. 

People gathered for over an hour to show their support, eliciting waves and honks from cars and pedestrians passing by the Pentacrest on the University of Iowa campus.

The protest comes as U.S. President Donald Trump ordered Israel to stop the bombing in Gaza after Hamas accepted aspects of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan. 

The proposal demands that the militant group surrender, but the return offer is unknown. If they reject, the U.S. could give Israel even more of an advantage to continue “its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory,” the Associated Press wrote.

According to the Associated Press, Hamas said it was able to release the hostages and yield power to the Palestinians. Still, other aspects of the president’s plan would require further consultation.  

This all comes almost two years after Hamas militants launched an attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, and in response, the Israeli military launched a war on Gaza that has killed over 60,000 Palestinians. 

According to the International Rescue Committee, 90 percent of homes have been demolished, leaving 1.9 million Palestinians without a secure place to live.  All three thresholds of famine — hunger, malnutrition, and mass death — have been “officially surpassed.” 

Protesters gathered in downtown Iowa City to remember the two years of the deadly conflict. Protestors held signs, one of which read, “Israel bombs, Iowa builds.” 

The rally introduced a petition, following a Sept. 11 open letter to Dean of the College of Engineering Ann McKenna and Engineering Career Services Director Kalindi Garvin, which accused American Ordnance, an ammunition manufacturer for the U.S. Military, of producing munitions used in alleged Israeli war crimes. The UI invited American Ordnance to an engineering career day fair. Protesters urged the College of Engineering to revoke the invitation.   

Protesters also called on government officials to take accountability, chanting “Miller-Meeks, you can’t hide — you’re supporting genocide,” and the same phrasing towards Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. 

Yassa Abdu-Dagga, originally from Gaza, said he believes the war should have ended already. 

“​​[I came to] voice my support to the movement, and voice my support to ending the genocide in Gaza, and [ask for]  people’s support to pressure our elected officials to stop providing Israel with weapons that are killing innocent people in Gaza,” Abdu-Dagga said. 

He said elected officials should know that if they don’t listen to the people voting and hold their values, they won’t be re-elected. 

Linda Peterson learned about the gathering through Instagram and said the UI needs to “disclose and divest their investments and their entanglements.” 

Students also gathered to show their disagreement with the UI’s actions. 

Uchechi Anomnachi, a graduate student at the university, said he and his fellow protestors are trying to be a presence for the Palestinian people. 

Anomnachi said what’s happening in Gaza is only possible with the compliance of the international community. 

“All the time I hear people ask how something like this happens, and the fact that it happens so frequently in the world and in history, should indicate that there’s a problem,” he said. “That problem is that people in Iowa, in Kansas, in Tennessee, aren’t willing to stand up for what’s right.”

Linda Lako contributed to this article.