Hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets around the world to protest the war in Gaza, which is approaching 100 days, and to demand an end to Israel's offensive.
At Saturday's protests in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, people gathered at the U.S. embassy to send a message to Israel's staunch ally. The United States has vetoed United Nations resolutions backed by a large majority of the UN Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire.
“We have spoken to people here who say they have come to show solidarity with the Palestinians. People are holding signs that say, 'Stop the genocide,' as well as 'Bombering children is not self-defense,'” said Al Jazeera's Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur.
The demonstrations are part of a “global day of action for Palestine” and to call for an end to bloodshed that has killed 23,843 people and injured more than 60,317, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza during a public hearing at the International Court of Justice on Friday, claiming that South Africa's case before the UN's top court was a distortion of the truth that amounted to defamation.
His arguments were based on his supposed right to self-defense following the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people, as well as what he said was a lack of genocidal intent against the Palestinian people.
Last month, the Malaysian government said it would no longer allow Israeli-owned ships to dock in Malaysian ports. He also said that any ship heading to Israel would not be allowed to unload cargo at any port in Malaysia.
The protest movement in Malaysia, organized in collaboration with dozens of NGOs, said its goal was to educate people not only about the atrocities taking place in Gaza, but also about the history of the occupation.
Thousands of people also gathered outside the US embassy in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and holding signs reading “Boycott Israel” and “Ceasefire Now.”
The 'complicity' of the United States
In Johannesburg, South Africa, protesters gathered outside the US consulate. Al Jazeera's Fahmida Miller said many in the crowd accused the United States, which has supplied Israel with thousands of tons of military equipment since the war began, of “complicity in the bombing of the Palestinian people.”
The protest has been reinforced by South Africa's case before the ICJ, Miller said.
Roshan Dadoo, leader of South Africa's Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, who attended the protest, said: “We will be here until we can ensure that there is a ceasefire and enough humanitarian assistance for Gaza.”
Meanwhile, mass demonstrations have begun in world capitals, including London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Amman and Washington DC.
Jeanine Hourani, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement who attended the march in London, said protesters are angry about injustice in Gaza and determined to continue marching for Palestinian rights.
“The feeling is one of anger and frustration,” he told Al Jazeera. “We have been out on the streets every week since October 7.”
Hourani said that while the British public largely supports a ceasefire in Gaza, “UK politicians have continued to fund and support the genocide.”
“Ultimately, we know that in the grand scheme of things – in the long arc of justice – we are winning,” he said. “We will continue to take to the streets, we will continue to exert pressure until Palestine is free.”
Thousands of people gathered at Bank Junction in central London, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said. Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, United Protesters call for a ceasefire.
The seventh National March for Palestine also featured an appearance by Little Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian refugee child, who joined a group of Palestinian children.
The 3.5-meter puppet, whose name means hope in Arabic, became an international symbol of human rights after traveling 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles) from the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester in July 2021.
About 1,700 officers are on duty to monitor the march in London, the Metropolitan Police said.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, protesters marching in solidarity with Gaza express discontent with the Biden administration for its handling of Israel's war and call for a ceasefire and an end to escalating US attacks in Yemen.
“There are a lot of boos against Joe Biden, they call him 'Joe Genocide,' they chant 'we will remember in November,'” Al Jazeera correspondent Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington, DC.
“There are a lot of angry voices here, and this is certainly not going to bode well for the president,” he added.
Smaller protests also took place on Saturday in cities including Hyderabad and the Kollupitiya neighborhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital.
