Pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of New York on Thursday, staging a mock funeral to demonstrate against Israel's continued heavy bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip. The activists gathered in Manhattan's Bryant Park while some briefly stood in the middle of the busy Sixth Avenue in the heart of New York's Midtown district. Holding banners demanding an immediate ceasefire, several women shrouded in black held baby dolls swaddled in white cloths to represent the toll the fighting has taken on children in the coastal territory.

The mock funeral procession headed to New York's iconic Times Square, where the protest continued with giant electronic advertisements as a backdrop. "Today's action is to draw attention to the fact that, as of now, almost 10,000 children have been killed in Gaza," said archivist Grace Lile, 64. The war, which started with Hamas's attack on Israel, has devastated much of northern Gaza, and the bombardment and fighting has intensified especially in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the attack, which left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians. Israel's relentless aerial bombardment and ground invasion have killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. New York City has seen dozens of protests since the attack and Israel's military response, with both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators taking to the streets in the ongoing conflict.