Eight pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Friday at a demonstration near Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dozens of protesters holding signs supporting Palestinians marched from the Lenox MARTA station toward Peachtree Road Friday afternoon.
Demonstrators were heard shouting "From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever," as honking cars went by.
Police were seen putting multiple people in zip-tie handcuffs before placing them into transport vehicles while demonstrators demanded their release. Among those taken into police custody was one person who was wearing a sash that read "legal observer," according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta that some of the demonstrators entered the street and refused officers' orders to disperse.
"APD continues to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of shoppers, visitors and demonstrators, and to uphold the law and protect the right to free speech," a spokesperson said.
Other pro-Palestinian protests happened across multiple other U.S. cities on Friday, including in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston, to disrupt Black Friday shoppers, with some calling for a Palestinian uprising in the Middle East.
The protests came on the same day Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists began a four-day cease-fire agreement that included the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack against Israel and Palestinian prisoners held in the Jewish State.
The 24 hostages released by Hamas on Friday included 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thai hostages and one Filipino hostage. More than three dozen Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel were also freed as part of the deal, including 24 women — some of whom were convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces — and 15 teenagers imprisoned for offenses including throwing stones.
But Israelis and Palestinians are not satisfied by the temporary cease-fire — Israelis because not all hostages will be released and Palestinians because of how short the pause in the fighting will last. Israel said the cease-fire could be extended if more hostages are released by Hamas, but that the war will continue when the truce ends.
Approximately 14,000 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to a military response from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.
