Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at universities and in several cities across the United States to mark the third anniversary of the Gaza war, calling for an end to what they described as the genocide in Gaza and urging universities to sever financial ties with the Israel regime.

Student-led rallies took place on campuses including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Columbia University and New York University (NYU), while additional demonstrations were held in Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City.

At UCLA, dozens of protesters assembled outside the campus carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading "Stop the genocide" and "Free Palestine."

The demonstration, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), also featured banners declaring, "Gaza will rise" and "We will honor all our martyrs."

Verbal confrontations were reported between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and pro-Israel counter-protesters, although no major violence was immediately reported.

Speaking to reporters, one demonstrator said, "We are here on October 7 to commemorate and honor the resistance of the Palestinian people," describing the anniversary as marking "the third year of the escalating genocide in Palestine."

Another student said protesters were demanding that their university divest from companies linked to the Israel regime and weapons manufacturers.

"We want our university to cut all ties with Israel and stop profiting from genocide," the student said, adding that SJP was also calling for an end to campus policing and surveillance of pro-Palestinian activists, as well as greater transparency regarding the university's institutional ties with the Israel regime.

Demonstrations spread beyond university campuses

Similar rallies were reported in several other US cities.

In Seattle, dozens of demonstrators marched from the Capitol Hill neighborhood toward Seattle Central College in support of Palestine.

In New York City, more than 100 people gathered at Washington Square Park, demanding that New York University withdraw its investments from companies linked to the Israel regime and close its Tel Aviv campus.

More than 70 demonstrators also rallied outside Columbia University before joining a larger citywide march organized by pro-Palestinian groups.

Hundreds later marched through Lower Manhattan carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans in support of Palestine, while another demonstration took place in Philadelphia, where protesters marched from Rittenhouse Square toward Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The demonstrations formed part of a broader wave of pro-Palestinian activism across the United States marking the third anniversary of the Gaza war, with organizers renewing calls for an immediate end to Israeli military operations, increased humanitarian access to Gaza and university divestment from companies they say are linked to the Israel regime. (ILKHA)