Pro-Israel rally takes place in Australia

A rally to ask for the release of Israeli hostages detained by Hamas in Gaza was held in Sydney. Protesters first gathered at Martin Place, in the city centre, where empty prams, shoes, red balloons and photos of Israeli hostages were on display with banners reading "bring them home." The crowd then walked through the city centre and gathered one last time at circular Quay with the Opera House in the background. The Israel-Hamas war, in its 23rd day Sunday, started after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip blew through Israel’s highly fortified separation wall on October 7, and attacked an open-air music festival and Israeli border communities. Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel and other supplies in retaliation for a bloody incursion, vowing to destroy the militant group.