Pro-Palestine protesters release bugs at hotel where Netanyahu is staying during US visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington DC has been overshadowed by huge demonstrations over ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Pro-Palestine protesters released bugs, crickets, and maggots at the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu and his delegation are staying.

Videos shared on social media by pro-Palestinian accounts on Wednesday showed a large conference table covered with insects, as they stated the insects were left in protest of the Israeli army's killing of at least 39,000 civilians in Gaza.

The videos also captured bugs scrambling on the floor and the sound of fire alarms echoing through the hotel corridors.

BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST'S WAR TABLE!
Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people. pic.twitter.com/hEc2HzL8Jb

— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) July 24, 2024

Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Capitol on Wednesday, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, as Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress. 

Police were seen violently pushing protesters aside and using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

A few miles away from the Capitol, demonstrators burned American flags and an effigy of Netanyahu.

US lawmakers faced a backlash on social media for welcoming Netanyahu, a war criminal, to address Congress while thousands of civilians in Gaza face the horrors of brutal killings, famine, and displacement.

BREAKING: PROTESTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ARE BURNING AN EFFIGY OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

This is blocks always from where he addressed congress. pic.twitter.com/1VF6xSTXys

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) July 24, 2024

In his address to Congress, Netanyahu made several contentious statements about the situation in Gaza. 

He criticised the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) for accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and blamed Hamas for stealing aid meant for Palestinians.

He concluded his speech by urging for more support, stating, "Give us the tools faster and we will finish the job faster," adding that Israel is fighting on the frontline of civilisation.