People in Louisville gather at Waterfront Park to call for Gaza ceasefire

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- People in Louisville called for a ceasefire as a war between Israel and Hamas continues to devastate Gaza.

Israel’s offensive has driven most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes. A quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the U.N.

People gathered at the Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park in downtown Louisville and walked a mile along the banks of the Ohio River to simulate pilgrimage in Gaza.

Participants prayerfully walked while calling for a release of Palestinian and Israeli hostages, along with a peaceful resolution.

"It is very hard for us, I am Palestinian and not only because I am Palestinian as a human and as a psychologist it is very hard for me to see the people suffering," Amani Kettaneh said. "Having all that pain and I would stay quiet."

During the walk, participants raised funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the Peace Dove, a Louisville organization providing material aid for displaced Gazans.

The U.S., which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, told Fox the U.S. still hasn't seen an Israeli plan for Rafah.

The U.S. supports a new round of talks aimed at securing a cease-fire in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. More than five months have passed since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people and left another 250 hostage.

Airdrops by the U.S. and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say more ground routes and fewer Israeli restrictions on them are needed to meet humanitarian needs in any significant way.