Oscars Night in the shade of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The protesters blocked the Hollywood streets

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 96th Academy Awards ceremony started six minutes late, at 4:06 p.m. PT., due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which made it harder for the attendees to get to the Dolby Theatre on time.

Many media outlets informed about a thousand protesters who had blocked the intersection of Sunset and Highland. In effect, some of the gala guests were forced to leave their vehicles and walk to the theatre by themselves.

The protesters were calling for an immediate ceasefire. While waving Palestinian flags, they were shouting "Ceasefire now!" and showing their banners next to the red carpet entrance with slogans like "No Oscars during genocide."

The Israeli-Hamas conflict was also the subject of some speeches and statements made by the actors and other attendees. Billie Eilish, for instance, attended the red carpet with a ceasefire pin organized by the group Artists4Ceasefire. The singer, along with her brother Finneas O'Connell, won her second Oscar in her lifetime in the best original song category for their performance of "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie."

Another reference to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East was made by Jonathan Glazer, the director of the "Zone of Interests" movie, which won the Academy Awards for Best International Feature. During his speech, Glazer said a few words about the current events in Gaza. "Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza — all the victims of this dehumanization. How do we resist?" he said.

Sources: Huffpost, Associated Press, Hollywood Reporter, Time