Thousands rally across Europe in solidarity with war-torn Gaza

By Anadolu Staff

PARIS/VIENNA/DUBLIN/ROME/ BERLIN/ANKARA (AA) - Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets Saturday across Europe, joining a wave of protests in support of Palestine amid the Israel onslaught against the Gaza Strip.

In the French capital, supporters of Palestine braved heavy rain as they marched from Republic Square to Nation Square to demand an immediate end to Israel's airstrikes on Gaza.

Carrying banners with slogans such as "Gaza is dying" and "We will not allow history to repeat itself," demonstrators waved Palestinian flags that stretched for meters.

In Nice, hundreds gathered in front of City Hall to protest the raising of the Israeli flag.

Palestinian supporters demanded the removal of Israeli flags hung in City Hall by order of Mayor Christian Estrosi, and chanted: "We no longer want to see genocide flags flying."

Similar protests erupted in Vienna, where demonstrators gathered at Heroes’ Square to denounce Israel's attacks on Rafah, home to more than 1.5 million Palestinians. Slogans such as "Hands off Rafah" and "Freedom for Gaza" echoed through the square as protesters demanded an end to the violence.

Health care workers staged a demonstration outside the US Embassy in Dublin in solidarity with Palestine.

Protesters also gathered in Berlin to show support for Palestine.

The demonstration commenced in front of the Leopoldplatz metro station in the Wedding district, and subsequently, the crowd marched toward the Prenzlauer Berg district.

The march, initiated with the recitation of the Quran, featured Palestinian and Turkish flags along with banners bearing slogans such as "This is not war, it's genocide."

Protesters criticized Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for her support for Israel.

Demonstrations extended to Rome, where thousands marched in protest of the Italian government's stance on the conflict.

The coalition government, led by Giorgia Meloni, faced accusations of complicity in Israel's attacks on Gaza. Protesters accused Meloni and the EU of failing to oppose the violence.

Since Oct. 7, Israel has pounded Gaza in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its onslaught nearly eight months ago. Most of those killed have been women and children, with over 82,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.