Leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in a joint statement on Friday.

"An immediate ceasefire is needed desperately," the statement said.

"Civilians must be protected, and a sustained increase in the flow of assistance throughout Gaza is needed to address the humanitarian situation."

US Vice President Kamala Harris

pressured Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to help reach a Gaza ceasefire deal that would ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden.

On the other hand, protesters against the Gaza war held a "die-in” across from Lafayette Park and the White House on Thursday as President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The protesters poured red liquid onto the street, saying it symbolized the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted, "Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit reads, "Wanted for crimes against humanity.”

More than 39,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war. About 1,200 were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war, and dozens of Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

In an address to Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu defended Israel’s conduct during the war, as thousands of demonstrators massed near the Capitol, marching through city streets carrying Palestinian flags and calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.

Outside Washington’s Union Station, protesters removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place to massive cheers in the crowd. They sprayed graffiti on a monument to Christopher Columbus.

Agencies