Beirut rally at UN Women headquarters supports Gaza as world marks International Women's Day

By Wassim Saifeddin

BEIRUT (AA) - Dozens of Lebanese and Palestinian activists protested Friday in front of the UN Women's Office in Beirut and denounced the “negligent stance” by the organization toward people in Gaza, who have been facing an Israeli onslaught, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The protest coincided with the annual International Women's Day and was in response to calls by activists on social media platforms.

Demonstrators chanted: “Lift the siege on Gaza”, “Freedom, freedom, freedom” and “Stop fire now” to demand freedom for Gaza, lifting the siege on it and an immediate cease-fire.

They also carried banners condemning the injustice faced by Gazans, especially women, amid the current offensive on the enclave, and demanded an immediate end to the war, including phrases such as “Palestine is a feminist issue”, “International law kills women”, “Save Gaza” and “Stop fire now.”

In a statement read at the protest, demonstrators affirmed that “there is no liberation for women without the liberation of Palestine, and there is no feminist struggle without the women of Gaza, and there is no combatting of patriarchal authority without resisting all colonial, military, and oppressive regimes.”

The statement urged the peoples of the world to “mobilize their efforts and escalate for the immediate and unconditional cessation of the genocide war being waged by the Israeli occupation on Gaza.”

Protesters demanded the “return of those forced to evacuate from the people of Gaza to their homes immediately, the release of all prisoners who were abducted from inside Gaza immediately, and the cleansing of the occupation's prisons from all prisoners.”

They also called for “cutting off supplies to the Zionist entity, especially weapons and goods, and holding accountable all those involved in the genocide war.”

Palestinian groups estimate that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the seaside enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.​​​​​​​

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala