Central Texans gather for solidarity walk for Palestine

Austinites walk in solidarity with Palestine

It has been exactly three months since the Hamas attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. Early Sunday morning, central Texans gathered at Mueller Lake Park for a solidarity walk to show support for those impacted by the conflict.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Native Roots ATX group invited the community to Mueller Lake Park on Sunday morning to show fellow Palestinians they’re not alone as the conflict in Gaza continues.

"I feel like it's important to show up whenever we can. We actually don't even live in Austin. We live about an hour north, and so there's not as much going on up there, so we can get down here," says Jess Mall, who attended the solidarity walk for Palestine.

The conflict has been going on since October 7th, when Hamas attacked Israel. As the war rages on exactly three months later, Central Texans can’t help but hurt for those who continue to suffer overseas.

"I was hoping that by this point we wouldn't need another event," says Katie Jennings, who attended the solidarity walk for Palestine.

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MORE ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Jennings couldn’t hold back the tears, saying the Israel-Hamas war has been personal.

"We actually lived in the Middle East for about ten years. We lived near Dubai in the UAE. And we had a lot of friends from all over the world, but a lot of Arab Muslim friends. And we just, it feels really close to home because that was our home," says Jennings.

That tie for her is the reason she keeps coming out to events like this solidarity walk to let her friends know she stands with them during this difficult time.

"Talked to my kids about it, and we feel like ‘I want to do something’ like, we can't do anything, so we're just here. We're just here to say that we care and stand with Palestine," says Jennings.

Many people who were in the large crowd that gathered Sunday did not have personal ties like Jennings, but they wanted to show their support.

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"I feel like it doesn't matter if I have ties there or not. I'm a human. And what's going on over there is awful and wrong and barbaric. And I feel like just as a human. That's enough of a tie to say this is wrong. Obviously, we're safe, and we can go do this walk in solidarity, and we can do it in peace and that's a huge privilege," says Mall.

Biden administration officials have urged Israel to wind down its blistering air and ground offensive in Gaza and shift to more targeted attacks against Hamas leaders.

Israel argues it has scaled back its military offensive in recent weeks and has now wrapped up major combat in Northern Gaza.