An estimated 300,000 people rallied on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge on Sunday to protest Israel’s 22-month war on the Gaza Strip, organizers said.

Despite heavy rain and strong winds, aerial footage showed the bridge blocked off for hours as crowds chanted pro-Palestinian slogans while holding umbrellas. Sydney police estimated roughly 90,000 people attended, though they said the turnout was far higher than anticipated, according to Sky News.

The bridge was completely covered by people with umbrellas.

“We've sent an enormous message to the world,” The Palestine Action Group Sydney, which organized the rally, said in a Facebook post. “Today the people spoke, and they said stop starving kids to death! Stop massacring people desperately seeking food! Stop the genocide! Sanction Israel.”

Among the protesters was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, seen helping carry a banner during the rally.

The mass protest came as Israel faced growing scrutiny over its actions in Gaza. In recent weeks, France, the U.K., Canada, Portugal, and Malta have announced they will recognize a Palestinian state. Each government cited the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including widespread reports of starvation.

The Gaza Health Ministry’s latest figures say at least 175 Palestinians have died of starvation since the war began in October 2023. Among them are 99 children, some as young as six months old, weighing less than when they were born.

88 of those deaths were recorded in July alone.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the war, including at least 18,500 children, according to the ministry.