Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of major cities around the world to condemn Israel's attack on Gaza as the war in the Palestinian territory enters its first year.
In New Delhi, about 150 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstration on Monday to support the Palestinian people.
“People die every day. They don't have food. They are dying of hunger,” said activist Bhavna Sharma.
Sharma, 52, carried a sign reading “Stop the slaughter” and said he condemned India's support for Israel, including arms sales. “Why are we sending weapons to Israel?” she asked. “Why do we support Israel in any way?”
Waving Hamas flags and carrying portraits of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, hundreds of people demonstrated in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. Some 400 Palestinian protesters of all ages and representing various political factions marched under the slogan “We will not lose faith in the revolution.” Beyond the characteristic yellow and green flags of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas, protesters also waved the flags of Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the US embassy on Sunday to demand that Washington, Israel's main supplier and military ally, stop sending weapons to Israel.
“We are appealing to the hearts of all the world's leaders to stand up, move and set them free. [the Palestinians] of the oppression carried out by Israel,” one protester told Al Jazeera.
In Cape Town, South Africa, hundreds of people walked towards parliament shouting: “Israel is a racist state!” and “We are all Palestinians!”
German police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on Sunday as they marked the first anniversary of the war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7 last year.
Protesters gathered at Kottbusser Tor square carrying banners with slogans such as “Stop arming Israel,” “End genocide” and “Freedom for Gaza.” They also condemned police violence during last year's pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Police stopped the march near Kottbusser Damm and the Lenau Street intersection, preventing protesters from advancing towards Hermannplatz. Clashes broke out, prompting a harsh police response. Several protesters were detained, including a disabled protester in a wheelchair who was dragged into a police vehicle.
Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas led attacks on Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera count based on Israeli statistics, and taking another 250 people captive.
Israel's military attack on Gaza has killed more than 41,900 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The war in the besieged enclave has displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million inhabitants, who have been subjected to widespread hunger and disease, leading to accusations of genocide against Israel by several countries at the International Court of Justice. from The Hague.
