Tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on the nation’s capital Saturday to demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, as the death toll in Gaza climbed past 9,200 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned away American requests for a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting. The protest at Freedom Plaza, a short walk from the White House, is the most recent in a wave of demonstrations around the world seeking an end to Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, now in its 29th day, following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,400 people. "The main goal of everyone right now is a cease-fire," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told USA TODAY. "You can't do anything without a cease-fire − you can't do humanitarian aid, you can't treat the wounded, you can't even remove bodies until there's a cease-fire." "Nothing should get in the way of a humanitarian cease-fire." Read more through the link in the bio. 📸: Eric Kayne/ USA TODAY