Watch Video: Thousands march in Chicago to support Palestinians

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Chicago on Sunday to show support for the Palestinian people against Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

Several thousand people gathered Sunday afternoon in the Loop, waving Palestinian flags and donning kaffiyehs — Palestinian headscarves — calling for an end to bloodshed and “ethnic cleansing” in the Middle East.

Chicago justice activists — Palestinian, Puerto Rican, Black and others — called for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem last month, when Palestinians clashed with police in response to Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers. A focus of the clashes was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a hilltop compound revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Hamas began firing rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza. The assault has displaced some 34,000 Palestinians from their homes, U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Sunday.