Worldwide Protests Condemn Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across continents rallied against Israel’s ongoing war and starvation campaign in Gaza, demanding sanctions, an arms embargo, and urgent action to halt a genocide.
Tens of thousands of people flooded the streets of Australia’s major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, in one of the largest waves of pro-Palestinian rallies to date.
Palestine Action said more than 40 protests took place nationwide, estimating over 300,000 participants.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Free, free Palestine,” calling for sanctions and a complete end to arms trade with Israel.
“We demand from our politicians more than just talk,” said Remah Naji, an organizer in Brisbane.
“Now, we demand actions in the same way we acted in times of genocide. We are signatories to the Genocide Convention, which means that we have an obligation to prevent and punish genocide when it occurs.”
Josh Lees, an organizer in Sydney, said Australians had taken to the streets “to demand an end to this genocide in Gaza and to demand that our government sanction Israel.”
In Melbourne, rally leader Nour Salman urged Canberra to back its promise of recognizing Palestine with harsher punitive measures against Tel Aviv, declaring: “Enough is enough. There is no ifs, buts or maybes.”
Nick Everett of Friends of Palestine Western Australia told WAToday: “Our government cannot claim to support human rights while continuing to arm an apartheid regime. Trade unions, civil society, and communities across the country are united in calling for action. Palestine can’t wait.”
The rallies came just days after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s top authority on food crises, declared famine in Gaza City.
According to IPC, more than half a million Palestinians — a quarter of Gaza’s population — face catastrophic hunger, with many already dying from malnutrition as Israel escalates its assault.
Global solidarity actions mirrored Australia’s protests.
In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined thousands in Kuala Lumpur, pledging the rally would help launch humanitarian missions to Gaza later this month.
In Senegal’s capital Dakar, demonstrators condemned Israel’s massacre of civilians and demanded aid access to the enclave.
In Nairobi, Kenya, hundreds of bikers rallied with chants of “Free Palestine,” denouncing the international community for failing to stop Israel’s crimes.
Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi reported from Nairobi: “They have watched horrific images of children starving, they have seen parents being killed as they go to get food. Here, they are saying: ‘Enough is enough.’”
Since October 7, 2023, at least 62,263 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
Among them are more than 2,000 people who died while attempting to collect scarce food parcels at Israeli and US-backed GHF distribution points, which Palestinian officials described as “death traps.”
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes including the use of starvation as a weapon against Gaza’s population.
