Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold protest at Israeli Consulate over IDF's deadly airstrikes in Gaza

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It only took organizers hours to mobilize a crowd of dozens of demonstrators on Tuesday.

Protesters doubled down on their calls for accountability as they marched from the Israeli Consulate to Federal Plaza.

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"It is a duty to come out and call out elected officials in America and call out against this genocide," one demonstrator said.

Protesters took to the streets of Chicago no less than 24 hours after Israel hit Gaza with a series of military strikes.

"We've been seeing babies buried under rubble really since October 2023, so it brings tears to my eyes. It makes me want to cry," said Paul Street with Refuse Fascism.

The Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, said the attacks killed more than 400 people.

"This is just totally wrong, and you got to stand up sometime and fight," said protester John Pottinger.

The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine called this an "emergency protest" and their message to U.S. leaders is, "hands off Gaza"

"The importance of this is to recognize that the state of Israel is committing a genocide that is backed by the U.S.," said Nick Sous with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest said in a statement, in part, "Yesterday, Israel resumed its operations against the Hamas, after the terror organization refused two different proposals made by the American administration to secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages."

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest added on Tuesday night that they are grateful to Chicagoans who have advocated for the release of the remaining hostages, and that the only way to guarantee a "lasting ceasefire is the immediate release of all of the hostages."