Colors of Palestinian flag painted on stairs of Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - The stairs leading to the landmark Sacre Coeur Basilica in the French capital Paris have been painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

The move was taken to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians.

Graffiti saying "Free Palestine" was also spray-painted on the wall leading to the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

Last month, the Cours Julien stairs, one of the tourist destinations in the southern French city of Marseille, were painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag in protest against Israel’s ongoing attacks in the besieged enclave.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 27,585 Palestinians and injuring 66,978 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.