Columbia University chaos: Protesters rename Hamilton Hall to 'Hind Hall', attack Jewish student & more-WATCH

Protesters advocating for Palestinian rights took over a building at Columbia University in the early hours of Tuesday, intensifying a conflict with administrators who have started suspending students for their refusal to dismantle erected tents on the New York campus.

Entering Hamilton Hall, a historic site for student protests since the 1960s, protesters unfurled a banner reading "Hind's Hall" from an upper floor. Outside, others used outdoor tables to block the doors and linked arms to form a barricade.

A protester inside shouted, "This building is liberated in honor of Hind, a six-year-old Palestinian child killed in Gaza by Israeli occupation forces funded by Columbia University," with those outside echoing each phrase.

Hind's story gained widespread attention on social media after a distress call made by her family went viral, pleading for help as they attempted to flee from approaching Israeli forces on January 29.

In the chaotic attempt to escape, Hind was separated from her parents and siblings, entrusted to her uncle who was fleeing Gaza with his family. Tragically, everyone else in the car was killed, leaving Hind as the sole survivor.

For over three harrowing hours, Hind desperately begged for assistance from the Palestinian Red Crescent, enduring gunfire and the horror of being alone amidst the bodies of her loved ones. Despite her pleas, help couldn't reach her in time.

Nearly two weeks later, on February 10, the bodies of Hind and her relatives were discovered. She had been shot multiple times, according to her family members.

In its conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Israel has denied aiming its weapons towards civilians, claiming that the terrorists are hiding among them.

Shortly after the protesters occupied the building, New York City police officers arrived outside the school gates in unmarked cars, as reported by the Columbia Spectator newspaper. They informed the paper that they would only enter the school grounds if there was an injury.

Approximately three hours after students entered the Columbia building, the school issued a notice stating that access to the campus had been restricted to students residing in on-campus residential buildings and essential employees, effective immediately.

"This access restriction will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise," it said. "The safety of every single member of this community is paramount. We thank you for your patience, cooperation and understanding."

The building occupation at Columbia has become a focal point of Gaza-related protests that are stirring university campuses across the US in recent weeks.

Students at numerous campuses spanning from California to New England have erected similar tent encampments to express their outrage over the Israeli operation in Gaza and what they perceive as their schools' involvement in it.

These pro-Palestinian demonstrations have ignited heated debates on campuses regarding where school officials should delineate the boundaries between freedom of expression and hate speech.