A protestor with “Free Palestine” and “Stop Bombing Palestine” on his t-shirt invaded the pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad during the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup final between India and Australia on Sunday.

The protestor was also wearing a mask with the colours of the Palestinian flag and carrying a flag as well.

During the 14th over of the first innings where India were batting with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the protestor ran on to the pitch and tried to hug Kohli while evading the security at the ground.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territory has entered its seventh week and has left over 12,000 people dead. The conflict escalated after Israel began ground offensives on Gaza after Hamas attacked border areas on October 7.

As reported by The Washington Post on Saturday, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are close to reaching an agreement facilitated by the United States. This would involve hostages being freed in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in hostilities.

As of now, 239 people are believed to have been held hostage in Gaza. The ground offensive by Israel has included a blockade of the Palestinian territory, resulting in a massive humanitarian crisis where residents have been cut off from important resources like fuel, electricity and telecommunication facilities. Gaza residents have also been dealing with shortages of food, water and lack of access to healthcare.