UPDATES WITH PROTESTS IN COLOMBIA
By Laura Gamba and Efe Ozkan
BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Protesters marched in cities throughout Latin America to condemn Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has persisted for a year.
Thousands of people in Chile demonstrated Saturday against the genocide in Gaza. Demonstrators asked the government of President Gabriel Boric for “concrete actions and not just words” and urged him to break diplomatic relations with Israel.
Slogans calling for the breaking of relations with Israel and chants such as “Israel kills” and the “Yankees’ sponsor” were heard during a march called by the Palestinian community in the South American country, which is home to more than 500,000 people of Palestinian heritage.
Hundreds of people in Guatemala also took to the streets Sunday, demanding an end to the Israeli genocide in Gaza and calling on the government to cut diplomatic relations with Israel.
Carrying banners and placards, they also called for freedom for the Palestinian people and recalled the thousands of people killed in Gaza since the war began a year ago.
The pro-Palestinian demonstrators crossed the center of Guatemala City until they ended up in front of the National Palace of Culture.
Dozens in Colombia gathered in front of the National University in the capital Bogota and marched to the US Embassy in support of Palestine and condemned Israel's attacks on Gaza.
The protesters stayed for a while in front of the Palestinian Representative Office and expressed their support for Raoulf Almalk, the Palestinian ambassador to Bogota.
Almalk, speaking to Anadolu, reiterated that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, killing thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, and expressed gratitude to those who participated in the pro-Palestinian march, noting that Colombian President Gustavo Petro had severed diplomatic ties with Israel.
Thousands of people also gathered in cities in Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 42,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.