TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Downtown Tampa was the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian demonstration as hundreds gathered outside of Tampa City Hall.

The rally comes after the former leader of Hamas called for “A Day of Action for Palestine” in the wake of a Hamas attack in Israel that sparked the worst conflict int he region in 50 years.

“I speak to parents and family members who have loved ones who don’t know if they’re alive or not,” said Imam Abdullah Jaber, chief executive director of council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida.

Their calls for a free Palestine are specifically to support the Palestinians who are in Gaza right now with words of encouragement to stay strong.

“They have nowhere to go,” Jaber said. “They’ve been under a blockade for more than a decade without proper food, without proper water, without proper living conditions. More than a million people have to evacuate, but where?”