UPDATE Thousands gather in France, Switzerland, German to call for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

ADDS RALLY IN GERMANY

By Feiza Ben Mohamed, Umit Donmez and Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

PARIS (AA) - Thousands of people on Saturday gathered in France and Switzerland to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

In Paris, hundreds of protesters, carrying Palestinian and South African flags, denounced the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for “complicity” in Israel's attacks on Palestinians, the protesters urged the government to work toward peace in the Middle East.

The rally that started in the afternoon merged with another demonstration held at the same time against the much-contested immigration law.

The immigration law, which was accused of being influenced by the far-right, was adopted by the parliament in December, and partially approved by the Constitutional Council last week.

In Geneva, thousands of protesters marched through the city center in support of the people of Gaza.

They also expressed solidarity with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The multilingual march ended at the UN Geneva Office.

In Berlin, 2,000 Palestinian supporters rallied at Potsdamer Platz against Israel's Gaza attacks.

Demonstrators, including many Germans, carried Palestinian flags and banners that had slogans that read: "Stop the genocide in Gaza" and "Germany finances, Israel bombs."

The protest continued to Schlossplatz Square, with signs demanding an end to the killing and criticism of German politicians.

David Kusel condemned the "horrific" Gaza situation and demanded an immediate cease-fire, aid delivery and a two-state solution.

He told Anadolu that he criticizes Israel's hindrance to peace through illegal settlements, terming the belief in eliminating Palestinians as an "incredible atrocity."

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 that has killed at least 27,238 Palestinians and injured 66,452 following a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. 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.

In December, South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

On Jan. 26, the court found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible. The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara