Fresh arrests on campuses as Biden breaks silence

LOS ANGELES — Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings.

One officer accidentally discharged his gun inside a Columbia University administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside, authorities said.

No one was injured by the officer's mistake on Tuesday inside Hamilton Hall on the Columbia campus, the New York Police Department said on Thursday.

More than 100 people were taken into custody during the Columbia crackdown, just a fraction of the total arrests stemming from recent campus protests over the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Demonstrators have called on President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel's right to defend itself, to do more to stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.

Biden broke his silence on the demonstrations on Thursday, saying, "Americans have the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos."

Biden, who is seeking reelection in November against Republican former president Donald Trump, has walked a careful line as he confronts criticism from both the right and the left over his Israel policy.

While the demands among protesters vary at each university, the majority of demonstrations have called for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and its military operation in Gaza.

A United Nations report released on Thursday said rebuilding Gaza's shattered homes will take at least until 2040 but could drag on for many decades.

Nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment have caused billions of dollars in damage, leaving many of the crowded strip's high-rise concrete buildings reduced to heaps, with a UN official referring to a "moonscape" of destruction.

Palestinian data showed about 80,000 homes have been destroyed in the conflict triggered by Hamas fighters' deadly attacks on Israel on Oct 7. Israeli strikes have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

A 49-year-old Israeli man, Dror Or, held hostage in Gaza has been confirmed dead, the government said on Friday.

Israel estimates 129 captives seized by militants during their attack remain in Gaza. The military said 35 of them are dead, including Or.

Showing solidarity

The continuing conflict in Gaza also triggered similar but less violent protests elsewhere in the world.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Sydney, Australia's oldest university, met a counterprotest supporting Israel on Friday. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported a scuffle between the groups. Camps have sprung up at universities in Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities over the past two weeks.

On Friday, police entered Paris' Sciences Po university to remove dozens of students staging a pro-Gaza sit-in at the entrance hall, as protests spark political debate over the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Administrators had closed Sciences Po's main buildings on Friday in response to the sit-in and called for remote classes instead.

In Canada, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said on Thursday the encampment at Montreal's McGill University should be dismantled as more students erected pro-Palestinian camps across some of Canada's largest universities, demanding they divest from groups with ties to Israel.

In Mexico City, mounting flags and chanting "Long live free Palestine", dozens of students set up tents in front of the head office of Mexico's largest university, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The students called on the Mexican government to break diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel.

Jimena Rosas, 21, said she hopes the protest would have a domino effect and spread to other universities in the country.

Ai Heping in New York contributed to this story.