Large crowd gathers for rally in support of Palestinian rights in Westwood area – NBC Los Angeles

Police were monitoring a demonstration in support of Palestinian rights near the Federal Building in West Los Angeles on Saturday.

Traffic was being impaired on Wilshire Boulevard from Federal Avenue to Veteran Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

A large group was part of the demonstration, but video posted to social media showed that the event appeared to be peaceful.

The rally comes as tensions continue in the Middle East following Hamas militants’ surprise and deadly attack on Israel last week. Hamas’ surprise attack killed more than 1,300 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, and roughly 1,500 Hamas militants died during the fighting, the Israeli government said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that over 2,200 people have been killed in the territory, including 724 children and 458 women. The Hamas communications office said Israel has “completely demolished” over 7,000 housing units so far.