Police clear Gaza solidarity encampment at University of Southern California

Students protesting Israel's war on Gaza decided to abandon an encampment at the University of Southern California (USC) on Sunday after being surrounded by police and threatened with arrest.

"The Los Angeles Police Department is clearing the center of UPC (University Park Campus). If you are in the center of campus, please leave. People who don't leave could be arrested," the university said on X.

As part of the intervention, police removed some students taking part in the demonstrations from the campus center.

They evacuated the encampment area and also removed the tents.

"The encampment at UPC has been cleared. The campus remains closed," USC added on X.

More than 2,000 people, including students, have been arrested during pro-Palestine demonstrations across the U.S. demanding that universities divest from Israel and condemning the war on Gaza, where nearly 34,700 people have been killed.

Nationwide demonstrations gained momentum last month after Columbia University asked the New York Police Department to forcibly evict a group of students who staged an encampment on a campus lawn. More than 100 people were arrested, but the protesters quickly adapted and formed another sit-in.

They were forcibly removed on Tuesday night by police from that site as well as a building they occupied.

Students in other countries including Canada, Australia, France and Egypt have also organized demonstrations at universities in solidarity with Palestine.