HOUSTON—Hundreds lined the sidewalk around the Galleria Sunday in protest of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Many of the protesters were draped in Palestinian flags.

“Nobody can justify what is happening in Gaza today. No one,” protester Zuhair Hallail said.

Israel said they launched the deadly airstrikes after Hamas leaders sent missiles into their country.

Israel said it is only defending itself, and the airstrikes are intended only for Hamas leaders.

But the country said it’s difficult not to have civilian casualties because of the nature of their enemy.

“(Hamas leaders) hide among the civilian population. They use women and children as human shields,” Israeli Consul General Asher Yarden said.

Yarden said Israel sent out warnings to citizens about the impending attacks, but that the civilian presence wouldn’t deter them from defending themselves.

“We did distribute leaflets, and we did send text messages to their cell phones, to civilians,” Yarden said.

But the Arab protesters want the U.S. to intervene, and ultimately for Israel to pull out of the Gaza Strip altogether.

“Let’s end the occupation. It is the root cause of all major escalations in the Middle East,” protester Kamal Kahlil said.

“Get out of our land and find somewhere else to live with us in peace and harmony, and don’t live with us and stomp all over our heads with your shoes,” Hallail said.

Israel points to the West Bank, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass, who is supported by the West, leads a rival government to Hamas.

“You can see what is going on in the West Bank is a very good example of how we can co-exist with the Palestinians,” Yarden said.