Peace activists gather at the Israeli Consulate in Toronto, Canada to protest Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, May 21, 2021. ©  WorldBeyondWar.org / screenshot

Toronto, May 22 (RHC)-- The steps outside Israel’s Toronto consulate were spattered in red paint by a Jewish anti-war group and other peace activists to symbolize “blood on the hands of Israel.”  The Israeli mission denounced the protest action as 'vandalism.'

Members of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), World Beyond War and other activist groups gathered at the Israeli Consulate on Friday to protest the “bloodshed from Israel’s violence in Gaza,” which saw 11 consecutive days of fighting between Tel Aviv's troops and Palestinian militants.

“We’re here to be sure that the blood on the hands of Israel is visible, so we have put this symbol of blood coming out of the door,” Rabbi David Mivasair, a member of IJV, said in a Facebook video as he stood outside the consulate.  No one can go into these offices of the Israeli government right here in Canada without seeing what Israel is about.  We’ve made it visible."

The protest came less than 24 hours after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and armed groups in Gaza, which was mediated by Egypt and took effect early on Friday morning.  The activists nonetheless condemned the eruption in violence, which saw hundreds of IDF air strikes and thousands of Hamas rockets fired into Israeli cities.

Rachel Small, an organizer with World Beyond War, said that while the group is “encouraged” by the ceasefire, it would not allow the “blood, the death, the destruction of the Israeli government” to be “invisible.”