The rally, organised by Sekretariat Solidariti Palestin (SSP), saw more than 100 people marching from the Tabung Haji Tower in Jalan Tun Razak to the US embassy.
The event is supported by 35 NGOs, 15 student movements and youth wings of political parties like PKR, Amanah and PAS. Leaders from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Muda are also attending the march.
“Our call is very simple. We want a ceasefire now,” said a senior member of the secretariat, Tian Chua.
“Why the US embassy? Because the US is providing money that allows the massacre to continue, and they are blocking any attempts by the United Nations for peace,” said the former PKR vice-president.
Meanwhile, Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda said the gathering is being held to send a message that Malaysians stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
“We want to convey the message that not a single person in our country supports or sympathises with the US and Zionism,” he said.
More than 20 police officers were seen stationed in front of the Tabung Haji Tower to monitor the crowd, with a Black Maria obstructing the path leading to the US embassy.
The rally will demand a halt to the killings of the Palestinian people; an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire; cessation of hostilities to address the immediate needs of civilians in Gaza, and recognition of the Palestinian people’s right to a sovereign state.
The US had vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza earlier this month, and last week, the US threatened to veto another draft resolution.
This forced the council to water down the language in the resolution to call for “urgent action” in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip instead of a “ceasefire”.
The US then agreed not to veto the amended resolution and abstained from the vote. The resolution was passed on Friday.
Two protests were staged in October outside the US embassy in a show of solidarity with Palestine as well as to condemn Israel following the war in Gaza.
War between Israel and Hamas erupted in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7.
AFP reported that the attack left around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, dead in Israel.
The agency also reported that more than 20,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, in Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza.
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