After holding several meetings over the last week to find a way to respond to ongoing violence and humanitarian crises in the Gaza Strip, peace and human rights activists staged two large demonstrations in Dearborn and Detroit on Tuesday and Thursday.

Israeli air strikes and ground incursions over the past eight days have left some 130 people dead, while its blockade continues to cut off food, fuel, medical supplies, water filters and other supplies from Gaza.

Several hundred people gathered at the steps of Dearborn’s City Hall on Tuesday under heavy snowfall carrying Palestinian flags and signs that read “Wake up to the holocaust in Gaza,” and “Occupation = Devastation.”

Many also carried dolls to symbolize children who have been killed in the violence.

On Thursday about 50 demonstrators circled the McNamara Federal Building in Detroit in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

On Monday when about 70 activists, mostly students, gathered at a coffee shop in Dearborn to plan the events, many expressed frustration with the lack of progress that has come from holding periodic, repetitive protests whenever violence erupts.

“We’ve been doing this for so long,” said activist Kenwah Dabaja. “It’s a cycle that goes on and on.”

She said there is outrage and activity whenever violence breaks out, but that energy and proactive efforts die down until the next eruption.

“Consistency is the most important thing,” she said. “We feel helpless but we can still talk to politicians… The facts are on our side.”

Rashid Baydoun, a University of Michigan-Dearborn student who leads a group called Students United for Peace and Justice, echoed the same frustrations.

“Ever since 1967 it’s been the same cycle over and over again,” he said.

He said their people take to the streets when large numbers of people die, and “a couple of weeks go by and you go back to your homes, and your jobs… We need to take that next step.”

He said that more regular political involvement among young people, like joining political action groups and running for office, has to go along with demonstrations and protests in order to really have influence.

The group agreed to meet regularly and made plans to orchestrate university walkouts on local and national levels to further protest the violence.

“We don’t want this to die down until — we don’t ever want this to die down,” said Tarek Beydoun, one of the lead organizers of the gatherings.

He implored others in the meeting to keep the level of consciousness high and to write letters to editors and contact news outlets more often.

“Let’s let the media know that there’s a real movement here.”

Major media were not visible at the demonstrations.

“It’s frustrating when the media doesn’t show up,” said David Finkel, a member of the peace group Jewish Voice for Peace, which participated in the demonstrations and meetings.

“But the demonstration was very spirited, considering the conditions,” he said about the Dearborn protest, in which participants waved flags and shouted enthusiastically while getting pelted by falling snow as leaders spoke on a loud sound system and passing cars honked incessantly.

Finkel said that though supporters of Israel argue that the violent incursions and the blockade are only in response to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, he believes the attacks do not justify Israel’s response.

“They can have a ceasefire whenever they want it,” he said. “They want the rockets to keep coming. It gives them an excuse to do nothing as far as peace is concerned. It’s obvious that Israel and the U.S. don’t want there to be conditions for peace.”

On Thursday, British humanitarian agencies released a report warning that the situation in Gaza was the worst in 40 years, urging the European Union to hold talks with Hamas and calling for an end to the blockade.

In response, Israel’s Defense Ministry released a statement saying that the report was misdirected.

“The main responsibility for events in Gaza — since the withdrawal of Israel from the territory and the uprooting of the settlements there — is the Hamas organization, to which all complaints should be addressed,” read a statement by spokesman, Maj. Peter Lerner.