Protests occurred in main world cities, together with London, Madrid and Istanbul.
Hundreds of individuals have taken to the streets world wide to protest in opposition to the battle in Gaza as Israel pledges to go ahead with its offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.
Waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, hundreds marched by means of the streets of Madrid, Spain to demand a direct ceasefire in Gaza.
The group snaked by means of closed-off streets within the Spanish capital from Atocha prepare station to the central Plaza del Sol sq. behind a big banner that learn: Freedom for Palestine.
Many carried indicators that learn “Peace for Palestine” and “Don’t ignore Palestinian struggling”.
At the least six ministers from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s cupboard additionally took half within the demonstration, 5 from the left-wing Sumar social gathering, his junior coalition companions, in addition to Transport Minister Oscar Puente of the prime minister’s Socialist social gathering.
“We’d like a direct ceasefire, an finish to the killing and assaults in opposition to innocents, we should obtain the discharge of all hostages,” Puente advised reporters at the beginning of the march.
Within the UK’s capital London, roughly 250,000 folks took half within the protest demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, based on the Palestine Solidarity Marketing campaign (PSC).
In the present day 250,000 folks took to the streets to demand a direct #CeasefireNOW to #StopGazaGencide. We can’t cease till Palestine is free 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/NPE5nqJpuZ
— PSC (@PSCupdates) February 17, 2024
Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett mentioned that based on organisers the demonstration going down in London is anticipated to be among the many high three by way of dimension for the reason that begin of the battle in Gaza in October.
“This may very well be a sign of the rising concern concerning the state of affairs in Gaza, on the cusp of Israel’s meant intensification of navy operations in Rafah within the south. YouGov has issued a ballot saying that two-thirds of individuals within the UK now assist a direct ceasefire,” Fawcett mentioned.
Fawcett mentioned that the principle physique of the march arrived exterior the Israeli Embassy, the place solidarity speeches and a static protest occurred.
The organisers additionally timed the start of the march to make sure that an occasion at a close-by Jewish synagogue was over.
Greater than 1,500 cops have been on the streets in London to police the protest.
In response to the Metropolitan Police, 12 folks have been arrested for placard-related offences, assaults on officers and refusal to take away face coverings.
“Regardless of these arrests, the overwhelming majority who took half have been peaceable and acted totally with the legislation,” the police said in an announcement on the social media platform X.
Professional-Israeli teams have tried to color the mass pro-Palestinian motion within the UK as anti-Semitic. The protest motion regards that as an try and whitewash Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has now killed nearly 29,000 folks.
Professional-Palestine protests additionally occurred in Sweden and different international locations, the place folks demanded that Israel cease its offensive on Rafah and known as for a ceasefire.
Demonstrations in Israel
Protests additionally occurred in Israel’s capital Tel Aviv and out of doors Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in West Jerusalem with demonstrators calling for a captive-prisoner trade deal and instant elections within the nation.
The rallies occurred within the wake of Netanyahu’s choice final week to not ship an Israeli delegation to Cairo for additional negotiations on a deal to launch greater than 100 captives nonetheless held in Gaza.
The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board known as the choice a “demise sentence” for the remaining captives.
However in a information convention on Saturday, Netanyahu denounced the potential for elections in Israel proper now. He additionally mentioned that Israel’s navy “strain is working” in opposition to Hamas, claiming the military has “reached areas in Gaza that the enemy by no means imagined”.
“Whoever is telling us to not function in Rafah is telling us to lose an ear,” he added, saying that the Israeli military would assault Rafah – a metropolis in southern Gaza that now hosts multiple million displaced Palestinians – even when a deal to launch captives is reached with Hamas.
