As violence in the Middle East worsens Saturday, protesters are taking to the streets in downtown Toronto to voice their opposition to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at Yonge-Dundas Square just after 1 p.m. before marching north toward the Israeli Consulate
Organizers expected about 5,000 people to come out to the Hands Off Gaza Protest, but only about 2,000 to 3,000 showed up.
Protesters chanted loudly and carried a large banner reading "Stop Israeli war crimes" as they marched up Yonge Street, waving flags while surrounded by a visible police presence.
"(The violence) devastated me and my family," said Suraya Aburaneh, 21. "We can't do much, but we're here in Canada and the best we can do is spread awareness."
A much smaller group of people from the Jewish Defence League organized a counter-protest across from the square, in front of the Eaton Centre.
"I want (Israelis) to have their own country, I want them to have democracy," said Ravid Dahan, 28, who moved to Canada from Israel two years ago.
At the height of the protest, military officials in Jerusalem confirmed that Israeli ground forces, amassed for days on the Gaza border, had started moving into the region.
The ground incursion had been widely expected in the wake of a heavy barrage of artillery strikes from Israeli gunboats and warships that was hammering the region Saturday.
Organizers at the invective-charged Toronto rally opted not to announce the news for fear it would stoke additional anger.
"This will have huge implications," said Ali Mallah of the Canadian-Arab Federation.
"It will widen the wedge toward more war, more violence and more people to be killed. It's a shame that we just entered a new year ... to start with war and killing in the Middle East."
About 100 Toronto police officers on foot, bikes, horseback and in cruisers were on hand to monitor the protest.
With files from The Canadian Press
