At a rally and march in Bay Ridge that was decidedly pro-Palestinian, protester Hanan Awwad chanted “Free Palestine,” as she felt great pride in seeing a crowd of thousands, including many non-Palestinians, who came to support.

“I’m very proud to be Palestinian,” said Awwad, who lives outside New York City, “very proud to see everybody here, even the non-Palestinians, the Muslims coming to support!”

Frustration over the escalating violence and the deadly clashes this past week that have involved Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East led to a rally Saturday in a section of Bay Ridge that is known to many as Little Palestine.

“The persecution, the systemic racism that Palestinians have lived through all these years,” said Fakhri Ahmad of Bay Ridge. “We’re all here to fight for us as a people.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold up signs that read “Free Palestine,” while marching down 5th Avenue.

Ahmad is Palestinian and lives in Bay Ridge. He is very concerned for the safety of family and friends who live around Gaza.

“It’s a very difficult time,” said Ahmad. “They don’t know what’s going to happen. They’re not in Gaza but the people in Gaza who they know. We all know people, and we all know someone is going to get hurt the next day. We know it’s going to happen.”

The march in Bay Ridge comes just days after a rally was held in Times Square that offered support for Israelis.

Meantime, Itay Milner, a spokesman for the Israeli Consulate offered this response.

"These attacks on Israeli citizens didn't just start this week, ok?” said Milner. “Rocket shooting, stabbing have been increasing for weeks now and Israel was showing enormous restraint."