Hundreds take part in all-day Gaza ceasefire walk across East Bay

BERKELEY, Calif. - Hundreds took to the streets in the East Bay on Saturday to march in opposition to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, and to call for a ceasefire in the region. 

The 22-mile ‘Interfaith Pilgrimage' route traced a map of Gaza onto the East Bay, beginning in Berkeley and ending in Alameda. The event was among 145 similar walks coordinated in cities across the world this weekend.

"My feet aren’t happy, but the rest of me is very happy," said Maya Gordon, who completed the entire walk, which began 7 a.m. in Berkeley’s Cesar Chavez Park. "You know it feels very gratifying to be in community and solidarity around this."

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, an estimated 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 70,000 wounded since the war began.

"And many are in mourning as we speak, but as they’re in mourning, they’re also in survival mode, and you know, what does it mean for the Muslims to be fasting while they’re seeking food and water and shelter," said Michael Yoshi, co-chair of Friends of Wadi Foquin.

More than 1,000 people registered for the march, according to organizers. In addition to calls for a ceasefire, organizers also asked for humanitarian aid to be immediately delivered to the region.

"Hunger is being used as a weapon, starvation is being used as a weapon, and this is unbelievable in our age," said Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, a co-organizer of the Interfaith Pilgrimage.

The walk wrapped up around 7 p.m. at Alameda's May Lin School playground. 

Another ceasefire demonstration is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. along San Francisco's Embarcadero. Bay Area community members are set to gather at Harry Bridges Plaza where they say they will demand an end to the "17-year-long brutal siege of Gaza." Palestinian Youth Movement and Party for Socialism and Liberation are affiliated with organizing this march.