‘Hands off Gaza’: Global rallies demand end to Israel’s genocidal war
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators held rallies and marches in cities around the world in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, demanding an end to Israeli attacks on the besieged and bombarded territory as Israel-imposed starvation engulfs the entire population.
Nearly two years of Israel’s brutal strikes on Gaza has killed more than 61,000 people in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The regime has also destroyed more than 88% of the Gaza Strip’s total area and displaced two million Palestinians since launching its genocidal war on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s blockade on Gaza has also caused a widespread starvation in the Palestinian territory, which has claimed the lives of nearly 200 Palestinians – half of them children.
In Turky’s port city of Istanbul, thousands of protesters demanded more aid be allowed into the Strip, with organizers calling on the international community to take urgent action to end the humanitarian crisis.
Many also took to the streets in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to protest the blockade and Western support for Israel, demanding the immediate and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In London, the Metropolitan Police said it arrested more than 466 people at a protest on Saturday against the British government’s decision to ban the group Palestine Action.
British lawmakers proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes as part of a series of protests. The group accuses the UK government of complicity Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Protesters, some wearing black-and-white Palestinian scarves and waving Palestinian flags, chanted, “Hands off Gaza” and held placards with the message “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Several pro-Palestine rallies were also held across Spain, including in the capital, Madrid, to protest Israeli attacks and the starvation in the enclave. Carrying Palestinian flags, protesters shouted, “End to genocide”.
In Switzerland’s Geneva, thousands gathered at the Jardin Anglais to protest famine and malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza resulting from the Israeli blockade. The crowd staged a sit-in, shouting in English, French and Arabic to demand an end to international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
Large rallies showing support for those suffering in Gaza have also been held in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Similar protests were also held in Germany, Chile and Argentina.