Several Palestinian rights groups who protest outside democratic national convention (DNC) center in Chicago have told United States Democratic party Presidential candidate Kamala Harris that they will not vote for for her unless she agreed to Imposed Arms Embargo against Israel who were accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
The protesters in an interview with Aljazeera who “March on the DNC”, also demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“I’m worried because I feel like there’s not going to be any big, major change with her,” a protester who simply give his name as Barnes said. “We’re trying to put as much pressure on from the left to say: ‘Listen, you can’t expect our vote.”
The protesters held signs linking Harris and President Joe Biden to the atrocities in Gaza, which they describe as a genocide: an effort to destroy the Palestinian people through bombing and starvation.
“Both Democrats & Republicans have blood on their hands,” one poster read. Another one said: “No votes 4 Kamala until arms embargo 4 Israel.”
Also, the convention protests had been organised with the assumption that Biden a staunch Israel advocate who led support for the war on Gaza would be the nominee.
He withdrew from the race on July 21 amid concerns about his age and ability to lead.
For many protesters, however, the new Democratic nominee makes little difference. Their message to the Democratic Party remains the same: that it must listen to the millions of voters who want to end US-backed human rights abuses against Palestinians.
While Harris has acknowledged Palestinian suffering in Gaza, the Democratic nominee has not promised any actual policy changes on the issue.
In another development, Arwa Damon, founder of the charity Inara, says humanitarian organisations in Gaza are struggling to get supplies.
She tells Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah that even when supplies arrive in Gaza, it’s almost impossible to transport them to where they are needed the most.
Damon said the situation is so “dire” that Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is running out of bandages.
“And what that has meant is that a 13-year-old child who has 50 to 60 percent burns on his body was not able to get sufficient bandage changes for wound cleaning, which then resulted in him having blood poisoning and exhibiting signs of early sepsis,” Damon said. “He’s in the ICU.”
READ ALSO: Israel Seeks Ceasefire With Hamas Over Lack of Ammunitions
At Nasser Hospital, she said, they’re missing many basics, including sufficient paper on which to write patient conditions.
“All of us here are scraping around trying to find whatever we can, from fresh vegetables to hygiene products, and begin to distribute that out to the people, but the numbers we are able to reach it’s almost embarrassing in the face of how vast the need is right now,” she said.