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Anti-Israel indignation sweeps anew across Europe
Hundreds of thousands of people once again took to the streets in several European cities on Sunday to show their anger at Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
In the Netherlands, an estimated 250,000 people, most dressed in red, gathered in the capital Amsterdam to press the government to take tougher action against Israel.
After packing the central Museum Square, the protesters walked through the city center, holding Palestinian flags and peace emblems. One placard read, “Ashamed of the government.”
The Dutch government has long been a staunch supporter of Israel but has in recent months been more critical as international support for Israel has ebbed. On Friday, Foreign Minister David van Weel said it was unlikely he would grant an export license to send parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.
“The bloodshed must stop. And that we unfortunately have to stand here because we have such an incredibly weak government that doesn’t dare to draw a red line. That’s why we are here. In the hope that it helps,” protester Marieke van Zijl said.
Istanbul held the largest of multiple demonstrations being staged in Turkey. The marchers called for Muslim solidarity with Palestinians.
The protests were among others planned in European cities to mark the second anniversary of Operation al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023, by Hamas against Israel, which has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
In the Turkish capital of Ankara, protesters held up flags and placards condemning the “genocide” in Gaza. “This oppression, which began in 1948, has been continuing for two years, turning into genocide,” Recep Karabal of the Palestine Support Platform told crowds in the northern city of Kirikkale.
Anniversary of Oct. 7 operation
In Britain, meanwhile, hundreds of people rallied to mark Hamas’ 2023 operation and mourn the victims of an attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
In Paris, protesters and relatives of the French nationals, who took part in a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid for Gaza and are still detained in Israel, marched with Palestinian flags towards the Hotel Matignon, the French prime minister's official residence.
In Africa, demonstrators in Morocco called for an end to war in the Gaza Strip and protested the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.
A day after mass demonstrations across Spain, thousands of people held smaller marches in several cities, calling for an “end to genocide” and trade relations with Israel.
Rallies in Santiago and Gijon, both in the north of Spain, were among the largest, with several thousand attendees. In Gijon, a group of women marched carrying white bundles symbolizing the bodies of children killed in Gaza.
Sunday’s demonstrations came a day after hundreds of thousands marched in Rome, Barcelona and Madrid in a show of growing international outrage at Israel’s two-year military campaign in Gaza. Smaller rallies took place in Paris, Lisbon, Athens and Skopje, North Macedonia, and in London and Manchester.
Truce deal
The protests came as Hamas movement in Gaza has accepted some elements of a plan laid out by US President Donald Trump to end the war, which has left Gaza’s largest city in famine and stirred accusations of genocide against Israel.
Hamas on Sunday called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, as negotiators from the two warring sides were set to meet in Egypt for crucial talks aimed at ending the war.
Foreign ministers of several countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a "real opportunity" to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable cease-fire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel needs to stop bombing Gaza for an eventual release of captives by Hamas to take place.
"I think the Israelis and everyone acknowledge you can't release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop," Rubio told CBS News talk show "Face the Nation."
"There can't be a war going on in the middle of it."