As the violent war between Israel and Gaza escalates, pro-Israel rallies are being countered with demonstrations in support of Palestinians.

Protests have been taking place in cities and college campuses across the U.S. since Hamas militants first attacked Israel over the weekend in a conflict that has since claimed more than 2,600 lives and injured thousands more on both sides.

What You Need To Know

  • National Students for Justice in Palestine group plans Day of Resistance Thursday

  • Members of the pro-Palestine student group are holding rallies, disruptions and education events at college and university campuses across the country Thursday

  • Students at the University of California-Los Angeles, Rutgers University and Ohio State University are among the participants

  • Several other organizations have held pro-Palestine protests in cities across the country this week

Following a call to action the National Students for Justice in Palestine issued Sunday, colleges and universities across the country are heeding the call Thursday with a day of resistance.

The University of California-Los Angeles, Rutgers University, the University of Virginia, the Ohio State University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Kent State University, New York University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Illinois and Purdue University are among the schools that will feature students protesting or holding “disruptions” and “education events” in support of the Palestinian people as part of the call to action.

“As the Palestinian student movement, we have an unshakable responsibility to join the call for mass mobilization," the group wrote in a post on Instagram on Sunday. 

The Day of Resistance comes after 27 student groups at Harvard released statements blaming Israel for Hamas’ attack and voicing support for the Palestinian people.

Other groups’ protests in support of a Palestinian state have already taken place this week in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.