Thousands protest worldwide against Gaza attacks
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Malaysia, or South Korea: Thousands of people, especially in Muslim countries, have demonstrated against the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people around the world have shown solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The focus was on Muslim countries, but people also took to the streets in South Korea. The demands were similar everywhere: an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip and the airstrikes that Israel started after terrorist attacks by the Hamas militant-Islamist group ruling in Gaza.
In Egypt, thousands protested against Israel’s actions. The government helped organize 27 demonstrations, which it rarely does. However, there were also protests beyond that, such as on Tahrir Square in Cairo. The people chanted “Bread, freedom, Arab Palestine,” modifying one of the slogans of the 2011 revolution that led to the overthrow of Egypt’s longtime ruler, Hosni Mubarak. Tahrir Square was the scene of weeks-long mass protests back then.
Hundreds of people also gathered in the courtyard of Al-Azhar Mosque, the main religious institution for Sunni Muslims, in central Cairo.
In Istanbul and Ankara, thousands protested with Turkish and Palestinian flags after the Muslim Friday prayers. Some posters read, “Stop the genocide!” and “Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine.” Around a dozen men wore blood-smeared doctor’s coats and carried dolls representing dead babies. Others set fire to Israeli flags and a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Unlike a week ago, there were no reports of violent clashes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Israel to stop its attacks on the Gaza Strip. He wrote on the online platform X (formerly Twitter) that the attacks on the densely populated Palestinian territory amounted to genocide.
In Iraq, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Trebil border crossing with Jordan. The protest was organized by a coalition of Shiite groups and militias supported by Iran. In Baghdad, several thousand people, including supporters of the pro-Iranian militias Hashd al-Shaabi, gathered for a demonstration.
In the Jordanian capital, Amman, 5,000 people participated in a rally to show solidarity with the Palestinians. They chanted “Save Gaza!” and demanded the opening of the border for aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people also demonstrated in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, as well as in Bahrain.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, demonstrators from various mosques marched to the US embassy in Jakarta and condemned Washington’s support for Israel. Similar demonstrations took place outside the UN office and the foreign ministry. Authorities estimated the number of protesters throughout the city at about 1,000.
In Malaysia, around 1,000 Muslims with Palestinian flags demanded an end to the killing in Gaza.
In the South Korean capital, Seoul, about a dozen protesters waved anti-Israel banners and Palestinian flags. “Please think about human lives. That’s all I’m thinking about,” said Egyptian student Mohammed al-Shafei in Seoul. “If we really want to help, we need to provide immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza.”