AUSTIN, Texas — Anguish and heartbreak filled the air at the Texas Capitol Sunday, as supporters for Israel and Palestine gathered in back-to-back rallies to voice their stances on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
According to the Israeli military, Hamas fighters are holding 126 people hostage and have killed and assaulted women and children. Israeli leaders swiftly announced preparations for a ground invasion into Gaza in retaliation for Oct. 7's surprise attack by Hamas.
Pro-Israel rally
The day started with a rally put together by the Texas Israeli Alliance and Austin's Israeli American Council.
"Regardless of your political views, you know, here you'll see all we do is support Israel and condemn Hamas," said Toba Hellerstein, the executive director of the Texas Israeli Alliance.
Speeches were made, songs were sung and Israeli flags were waved by dozens.
Orly Bernstein said she is Pro-Israel, but she is not anti-Palestine.
"When they say, 'Free Palestine,' I say back, 'Free Palestine from Hamas,'' she said.
Bernstein, along with Hellerstein, said that everyone in the community is somehow personally affected by the war.
Meira Shefitz said her relative, 23-year-old Hersh, was at a music festival in Israel when he was injured and taken into Gaza.
While holding a sign with his photo on it that read "bring.hersh.home," Shefitz said her heart is with his parents, who are in Israel searching for answers.
"All the pain that I feel and the fear that I feel and the terror I feel is is much greater. And that's only a sliver of what Hersh must be feeling, and what so many other people are collectively feeling right now," Shefitz said.
PHOTOS: Rallies for Israel, Palestine outside Texas Capitol
Pro-Palestine rally
The south steps of the Capitol soon transformed from blue and white Israeli flags to signs and support for Palestine.
Hundreds of supporters held up "Free Palestine" signs and chanted, "Occupation no more."
The rally was organized by the University of Texas's (UT) Palestine Solidarity Committee.
Organizers warned people to be careful about identifying themselves out of fear of doxxing, or revealing information about a person without their permission. Because of this, organizers who spoke to KVUE opted to keep their identities anonymous.
"What happens, oftentimes, is they'll take your name, they'll take what university you go to phone number, address and put it online and spread it. A lot of people get blacklisted from universities, expelled, kicked out, oftentimes just for speaking up about the rights of Palestinians," one organizer said.
Another organizer pointed to the occupation of the land and issues that led to the most recent round of fighting not happening overnight.
"The blockade on Gaza has been happening for over 16 years, and it's not something that just manifested a few days ago. So I think our message here is very clear that there's an occupation in Palestine that needs to end, and the ethnic cleansing and the bombing of Gaza needs to stop," the organizer said.
The rally eventually erupted into a march from the Capitol, down Congress Avenue, before ending back at the Capitol.
Dozens of troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and officers with the Austin Police Department (APD) were at both rallies throughout the day and worked in tandem to block off portions of Downtown Austin while the march took place.