Rallies have been held in across Africa expressing support for the Palestinian people. In Cape Town, South Africa, several thousand people marched through the streets of Salt River in a show of solidarity for the people of Palestine, with demonstrators holding placards and flags, while chants of “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide, stop the hate” were heard.
Similarly, people in the Somali capital of Mogadishu took to the streets to protest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and to show solidarity with Palestinians. Some of them were also seen carrying Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as “Stop the war crime,” “Free Free Palestine,” and “We demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, Palestine.”
Muslims in Nigeria also marched in the streets in support of Palestinians and to criticize Israel’s heavy bombardments in Gaza where conflict, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since October 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis, with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.
In London, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through a rainy London on Saturday to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, and similar calls were heard in cities around the world as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third week.
On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have left their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in at Marble Arch near London’s Hyde Park before marching to the government district, Whitehall.
Police estimated the crowd that wound its way through the city for three hours at “up to 100,000.”
Waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Stop bombing Gaza,” participants called for an end to Israel’s blockade and airstrikes launched in the wake of a brutal incursion into southern Israel by the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.
Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,300 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ deadly incursion on Oct. 7.
Israel continued to bombard targets in Gaza on Saturday ahead of an expected ground offensive. A small measure of relief came when 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were allowed to enter Gaza across the southern Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The war has raised tensions around the world, with both Jewish and Muslim communities feeling under threat. The British Transport Police force said it was investigating after footage was posted online that appears to show a London Underground driver leading passengers in a chant of “Free, free Palestine” over the subway intercom.
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