‘We hope to see the end of this’: Pro-Palestine groups mark a year of war in Middle East

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rising tensions in the Middle East are causing repercussions right here in Central Florida.

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Pro-Palestine groups are getting ready for a week of public demonstrations leading up to October 7th, marking one year since the war between Israel and the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On Wednesday, several organizations came together for a vigil in front of City Hall for a vigil in honor of the lives lost in the conflict.

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“Free Palestine doesn’t only mean free Palestine. Free Palestine means everyone is free,” said Reem Elkhaldi, Founder ‘Of Healing Our Homeland.’ “We’re just watching almost in shock that the world is allowing this, that the moral standards that our society exists within right now allow this to be normal.”

The groups have been holding public demonstrations for nearly a year, starting after Israel launched their response in the Middle East back in October of 2023.

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“For us, when there isn’t a system that you can trust, and you kind of have continue to fight and continue to push back,” said Lamia Mouddakam, with the advocacy group ‘Central Florida Queers for Palestine’.

Now, the war faces yet another chapter, with Iran and Israel exchanging hundreds of missiles in a matter of days.

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“I don’t want anyone to get bombed, even my worst enemy. I don’t want them to be bombed,” said Elkhadi. “What we want is for them to stop putting our tax dollars into the military industry.”

The activists are hoping to raise awareness about the number of lives lost in the conflict. “We all hope that it’s within our lifetime that we see the end this, of the occupation of Palestine,” said Mouddakam. “I carry on that hope. And so, my hope is that we see the end of the occupation in Palestine.”

The advocacy groups say they will keep pushing for a cease fire and a two-state solution, and will continue with their demonstrations, ending on Monday also in front of city hall, in downtown Orlando.

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