Police carried out pre-dawn swoops on students protesting the fighting in Gaza at two of the most prestigious US universities, AFP reports.

At least 10 people were arrested at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) near Boston, according to university president Sally Kornbluth, who said she had “no choice” but to dismantle the “high-risk flashpoint”.

At the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, officers in tactical gear forcibly removed several dozen students who had linked arms around a statue of Benjamin Franklin, NBC reported.

“You cannot suspend the movement. We will be back,” students wrote on Instagram.

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