NEW YORK CITY 

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists temporarily occupied the world-renowned Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City over the weekend to protest against Israel's attacks on Gaza.

The demonstrators, seeking to raise awareness about the Israeli army's alleged war crimes in the enclave, organized a protest against the directors of MoMA.

They hung a huge flag with the words "Free Palestine" in the museum’s entrance hall, demanding the resignation of some of its board members and accusing them of supporting "Zionist occupation and genocide."

They also carried a banner with the words "Cultural workers stand with Gaza" and called for the lifting of the blockade on the enclave and an end to "artistic collaboration" with Israel.

Identifying themselves as the "People of New York," the group distributed a statement to museum visitors saying that "while MoMA advocates for ideologies of change and creativity, the Board of Trustees directly finances Zionist occupation through arms production, lobbying and corporate investment."

The statement stressed the need for art not to serve as a veil for genocide and demanded the immediate resignation of board members with direct connections to genocidal, racist and settler-colonialist exploitation.

The Palestinian Youth Movement shared images of the protest on their X account, saying that approximately 800 activists temporarily occupied MoMA and highlighted Israel's preparations for a ground operation against the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than a million refugees have sought shelter.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul