DALLAS — It’s been nearly two weeks since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted into a full-on war. At least 200 people died in the 11 days of fighting. The ceasefire appears to be holding for now, but the fallout has been felt around the world, including here in North Texas.
On Sunday afternoon, thousands of Pro-Palestinians took to the streets of downtown Dallas, chanting "Free Palestine" and holding up signs throughout the streets.
“Justice, it’s important to stand up for justice,” said one woman who took her two small children to the protest.
Wafa Manasrah’s family drove in from Sachse to be a part of Sunday’s demonstration.
“I’m Palestinian, so I grew up going to Palestine every summer,” said Manasrah.
Manasrah says her extended family hasn’t been evicted from any of the homes in Jerusalem but did say that “there is a lot of our land that we aren’t allowed to live on, we aren't allowed to use, we aren’t allowed to access. You have to go through checkpoints."
She says she watched the heartbreaking images of protesters in Palestine getting shot and having tear gas thrown at them.
“My heart had sank. It was near my mom’s hometown,” said 9-year-old Aneesah Taleb.
Many Dallas Sunday took their small children in the crowd of thousands and showed them images from the unrest.
For so many families on both sides, they tell us, the hardest part is not only the distance, but the eight-hour time difference that makes it difficult to hear from loved ones.
WFAA sat down with Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried from the Dallas area, whose son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live in Tel Aviv.
“They had to keep going in the middle of the night with the two little girls down to the bomb shelter to sleep through the night,” said Yerachmiel.
His grandkids are left asking their parents why.
“[They're saying] 'Mommy, Daddy, why, if this is dangerous, why are they doing this to us?' There is no answer because they hate us," Yerachmiel said.
But in the end, both sides told WFAA, they just want peace.