Tensions between pro-Gaza and pro-Israel protesters peak in New York City

Mounting tensions in Gaza, as a result of air strikes from Israel have translated on the ground in New York City. 

Hundreds of supporters of Palestine came out, flags in hand, chanting loudly and calling for freedom for Palestinians. 

Opposite them groups of supporters of Israel also crowded around with flags, hurling insults at each other. 

Footage shared on social media showed people confronting one another, and reaching over barricades installed by police in an effort to attack one another. 

Police were deployed to the scene and were shown taking people away from the site in an effort to calm tensions and avoid an escalation.

The protests, which have spilled onto the streets of Manhattan, come after the Biden administration voiced its ‘unwavering’ support for Israel.

Despite a number of US politicians and lawmakers calling for a de-escalation of events and reiterating the need for both sides to reach an agreement, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated President Joe Biden’s “unwavering” support for what Washington calls Israel’s “right to defend itself”.

This week, US congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar voiced their concern over Israel’s use of aggressive tactics and air strikes on Gaza.  

“We must, with no hesitation, demand that our country recognise that unconditional support of Israel has enabled this erasure of Palestinian life...it emboldens the apartheid policies that Human Rights Watch has detailed…” Tlaib wrote on Twitter.