Massive demonstrations took place in the capitals of several European countries on Sunday in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and to demand an end to the brutal Israeli aggression.
The protests also called for the prosecution of those responsible for the ongoing genocide and massacres that have claimed the lives of nearly 22,000 citizens and left tens of thousands wounded over the past 86 days.
Thousands of protesters gathered on the main streets throughout Europe, including Dublin in Ireland, Marseille in France, Manchester in England, and several cities in Turkey.
Participants raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans condemning the Israeli aggression, and called for an end to the indiscriminate shelling and continuous violence against civilians in Gaza.
They also demanded the opening of Gaza’s border crossings and the flow of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, clean water, and basic necessities for the people of the stricken Strip.
These events are part of a global campaign launched by civil society institutions and human rights activists to exert pressure on the international community to urgently intervene and stop the massacres in Gaza.
They aimed to make New Year’s Eve a new occasion for solidarity with Gaza and to pressure for an end to the war and aggression.
The campaign strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli bombardment of innocent civilians and calls for the leaders of the ‘Zionist entity’ to be brought before the International Criminal Court and prosecuted for crimes.
The demonstrators chanted slogans expressing full solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an end to the double standards in dealing with humanity and the disregard for the value of civilian lives in Gaza, and for treating them equally with all people in the world.
5,000 solidarity events for Gaza in 400
European cities
Majed Al-Zeer, the CEO of the European-Palestinian Council for Political Relations, revealed that it has been documented that the European popular movement in solidarity with Gaza against the ongoing Zionist aggression for 86 days now, has reached more than 5,000 demonstrations and events in more than 400 European cities.
Al-Zeer emphasised in a press statement that the European popular movement in solidarity with Gaza began on October 7th, and was combined with condemnation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that the unified solidarity movement and strong will have escalated into a real uprising in support of Palestinian rights, demonstrated most notably the mass street demonstrations.
He stressed that the popular events in Europe, with their momentum, form a pressing public opinion on politicians and turned into an important political language.
European peoples
stand with the
Palestinian people
Irish MEP (Member of the European Parliament) Mick Wallace stated that European peoples stand with the Palestinian people, contrary to their governments that support Israel.
He pointed out that the General Assembly of the European Parliament has met four times in Strasbourg, France, since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, but no decision has been taken regarding Gaza in those meetings.
Wallace criticised the European Parliament’s position, saying that they do not want to a ceasefire in Ukraine or Gaza because the American empire doesn’t want it.
Global campaign on New Year’s Eve
The global campaign to immediately and permanently cease fire in Gaza called for making the New Year’s Eve celebrations an opportunity to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and carry out a symbolic event accompanying the local celebrations worldwide.
It seeks to make the New Year celebrations a ‘chance to make decisions for a brighter future. ‘With the death of nearly 30,000 civilians, including over 10,000 children, our only decision in the New Year is to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire’ they said.
The campaign aimed to mobilise people from all over the world to join their local New Year’s Eve celebrations to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
- Ismail Haniyeh hails Palestinian Journalists Loyalty Day
THE HEAD of Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, saluted the Palestinian journalists on the occasion of the Palestinian Journalist’s Loyalty Day on Sunday.
In a brief speech he said: ‘On the Loyalty Day of the Palestinian Journalist, I extend my greetings of pride and appreciation to all Palestinian media professionals and journalists who risk their lives in order to convey the truth and the heroism and steadfastness of our people and our resistance, and to cover the news of the heinous crimes and massacres carried out by the Zionist occupation against our people.’
He highlighted that ‘more than a hundred journalists have fallen as martyrs in the ongoing (Israeli) aggression on Gaza while they were in the field fulfilling their duties.’
Haniyeh concluded: ‘Peace be upon you in eternity, and peace be upon you while you are in the field fulfilling your duty.’
The Hamas Movement said in a statement on Sunday that the Palestinian Journalist’s Loyalty Day is an important national occasion, ‘recognising and appreciating these truth guardians who stand, and have stood, today in the heroic battle of our people (Al-Aqsa Storm). They are united with their people in the Gaza Strip.’
They pointed out that journalists experience the same pain, hopes, and aspirations, and endure the same suffering, oppression, killings, and displacement due to the Israeli Nazi aggression that has been ongoing for nearly three months.
In addition to the assassination of 106 journalists, Israeli forces have injured dozens of other journalists and killed their families in an attempt to intimidate and silence their voices.
The journalists, with their cameras and reporting, confront the Israeli war machine, which has made them, their families, their homes, and their residences targets of terror and revenge, ultimately suppressing the voice of truth and concealing the image of its crimes and massacres.
Hamas said that this Nazi Israeli entity has become the most dangerous enemy of journalists in Palestine because they have been revealing its crimes, terrorism, and aggression against the Palestinian people, land, and sanctities.
Their credibility, objectivity, and professionalism in narrating and documenting this ongoing conflict have become the most truthful and influential, locally, regionally, and internationally, despite the relentless Israeli attempts to suppress, distort, and extinguish their voice, the Movement added.
It emphasised that 106 journalists in the Gaza Strip have fallen during the 86 days of continuous Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, while in the West Bank and Jerusalem, the Nazi occupation army continues to suppress journalists, assault them physically, abuse and detain them, prevent them from working, and target them on a near daily basis.
‘And on this day, with all the meanings of pride and honour, Hamas recalled the honourable journey of the Palestinian journalistic and media family throughout the history of the Palestinian struggle.
‘They have always been at the forefront of those standing for the rights of the Palestinian people and the justice of the Palestine cause, enhancing their steadfastness and national identity, and exposing the crimes and aggressive schemes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian land, people, and Islamic and Christian sanctities,’ Hamas added.
Hamas also remembered ‘the souls of the martyrs of truth and free speech, and prayed to Allah for the swift recovery of the wounded, freedom for the prisoners and detainees’, and sent ‘sincere greetings and appreciation to all the male and female Palestinian journalists, inside and outside Palestine.’
Hamas urged them to continue their effective and influential journalistic role and mission in supporting the resilience and legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people and called on all human rights and humanitarian institutions to continue exposing the systematic crimes of killing and arresting Palestinian journalists and to exert pressure on this occupation to protect them in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Ismail Thawabteh, the Director General of the Government Media Office, affirmed that the Israeli occupation’s crimes of killing, targeting, and arresting Palestinian journalists will not break their will but will increase their dedication until victory and liberation.
During a gathering organised by journalists at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thawabteh said: ‘We commemorate this dear anniversary with heavy hearts. This is the anniversary of the Palestinian Journalist’s Loyalty Day, which falls on December 31 of each year.’
He added: ‘This national occasion reminds us of our responsibility and duty towards our just Palestinian cause and the great injustice suffered by our Palestinian people.’
He conveyed his utmost respect, admiration, and appreciation to all Palestinian journalists and media professionals, ‘the knights of words and truth, who succeeded in exporting the authentic Palestinian narrative and shattering the false narrative of the Israeli occupation.
‘They made the whole world realise that the occupation is misguided, and its leaders have stained their hands with blood and crimes.
‘These honourable journalists exposed the racism and criminality of the occupation before the whole world. They defended Palestine, and among them were martyrs, wounded, and prisoners.’
