SEATTLE — Protesters calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas blocked northbound traffic on Interstate 5 in Seattle for several hours on Saturday.
Additional protesters on a nearby overpass cheered in support of the blockade, which began around 1:15 p.m., the Seattle Times reported. The state transportation department said on social media platform
Protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Hey, hey, the occupation must go.”
Seattle police posted on social media at 3:40 p.m. that officers had issued a dispersal order, although protesters disputed that they had received such orders. Stormy weather, including hail, moved through the area and protesters left the highway around 4:45 p.m., according to the Times.
Trooper Rick Johnson of the Washington State Patrol said via X that while people had left the highway, 12 vehicles were left behind. He said the roadway would reopen once they were towed away.
Hamas's Oct. 7 attack from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostage. It was the worst attack in Israel's history.
Since then, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that a total of 22,722 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's subsequent attack. The count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Israel has held Hamas responsible for the civilian casualties, saying the group has embedded itself in Gaza's civilian infrastructure. Yet international criticism of Israel's behavior has increased due to the rising number of civilian casualties.