Anti-war protesters organized a sit-in outside a congressional building on Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress, while Capitol Police arrested several people.

Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday for a multi-day visit that includes meetings with President Joe Biden and a speech on Wednesday before a joint session of Congress. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the hotel where he is staying on Monday evening, and on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters took over the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, which houses the offices of House members.

The protesters, organized by the Jewish Voice for Peace, wore matching red shirts that read "Not in Our Name," as they occupied the rotunda of the Cannon House, chanting "Let Gaza Live!".

After about half an hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the U.S. Capitol Police issued several warnings and then began arresting the protesters – binding their hands with zip ties and leading them away one by one.

Jin Hirschman, a resident of Sugarloaf, New York, who drove to participate in the protest with her daughters – both of whom were arrested – said, "I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors and I know what the Holocaust looks like." "When we say 'never again,' we mean never again for anyone."

Protesters focused much of their anger on the Biden administration, demanding the president immediately halt all arms shipments to Israel.

Hirschman said, “We’re not focusing on Netanyahu; he’s just a show.” “But how can (Biden) call for a ceasefire while sending them bombs and planes?”

The number of protesters who were arrested was not immediately clear.

Netanyahu's visit to the United States has sparked a wave of protest activity, with some demonstrations condemning Israel, while others expressed support but pressured Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire agreement and return hostages still held by Hamas.

Families of some remaining hostages were planning to hold a vigil on Tuesday night at the National Mall. Several overlapping protests are scheduled for Wednesday during Netanyahu's address to Congress. In anticipation, police have significantly increased security measures around the Capitol and closed multiple roads throughout the week.

Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet on Thursday, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the White House announcement. Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet separately with Netanyahu that day.

Harris typically sits behind foreign leaders addressing Congress as President of the Senate, but she will be away on Wednesday, on a previously scheduled trip to Indianapolis before Biden withdraws his reelection bid and becomes the potential Democratic presidential nominee over the weekend.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will meet with Netanyahu on Friday, and Mitchell Rivard, chief of staff for Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan, stated that his office called for Capitol Police intervention after protesters became “disruptive, violently banging on office doors, shouting loudly, and trying to force their way into the office.”