In pictures: High school students leave class to 'strike for Gaza'

High school students from 13 schools in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC have skipped classes to participate in a "School Strike for Gaza" and demand an immediate ceasefire in Palestine.

The more than 100 protesters, who comprised of a diverse coalition of young people, chanted "No more bombs and occupations," "free, free Palestine" and "we cannot be pushed aside, put an end to genocide" as they marched from McPherson Square to the White House on Friday.

Speaking to TRT World, student Reb Spring said she supports an end to US aid to Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza after seeing all the suffering of Palestinians on social media.

"I'm very against war and all the damage it causes for the entire world. The hope is that the US will stop intervening in Israel and Gaza, and hopefully with that influence, Israel will pull back and let the Palestinians have their homes and live peacefully," she said.

Following the march, students participated in a teach-in to learn more about the war on Gaza.

So far, at least 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its offensive in October, most of them women and children, according to government figures. More than 1 million more people are displaced and lack shelter, food, water and healthcare.

The march comes on the same day that the top court in the United Nations ordered Israel to "immediately" halt its military assault in Rafah in southern Gaza. Much of the world welcomed the order, which is expected to be difficult to enforce. But the United States and other Israeli allies have dismissed the ruling.

Speaking to TRT World, DC resident and march participant Brandon said, "It's gotta end. It's gotta stop. It affects all of us. Palestine needs to have its self-determination restored so they can figure out what they want moving forward."

Referencing the billions in military aid given to Israel by the US, he added, "All of us are waking up every morning and it gets worse every single day. We see Palestinians on social media who are being assaulted by Israel in the most disgusting inhumane ways that are conceivable and it's all funded by us. So we have a duty, we have a responsibility to make sure this ends, and it doesn't continue and it never continues. I don't think that we're doing enough."

As the war on Gaza approaches its eighth month, more than 10,000 Palestine solidarity protests have been held across the United States. The vast majority have not been organised by students, but in recent months, the spotlight has been on young protesters on college campuses.

Police crackdowns against peaceful protesters in the US has helped sparked solidarity protests for Palestine around the world.