Tens of thousands protest after Friday Prayers over Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
Cairo, The Gulf Observer: Amid Israeli heavy bombardment of Gaza, mass demonstrations in solidarity with suffering Palestinians have begun in many Arab nations following congregational Friday prayers.
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Egypt in support of war-torn Gaza on Friday, with large crowds flooding into Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square.
The protesters raised slogans in solidarity with Gaza and against the displacement of Palestinians from the besieged city.
Thousands of Jordanian people participated in two solidarity demonstrations with one near the Israeli Embassy in the capital Amman.
A solidarity vigil was held in the Rabieh area in Amman where the Israeli Embassy is located.
Donning Palestinian flags, people took out a solidarity march in the downtown area in front of the Husseini Mosque towards Palm Square.
The demonstrators denounced the attacks and demanded the opening of borders with Palestine.
“With our soul and blood, we will sacrifice for you, O Al Aqsa,” was among the slogans raised by the demonstrators in Jordon, who also demanded that the Israeli Embassy be closed in Amman.
However, Jordanian security forces prevented people from reaching the border with Palestine.
Hundreds of people in Jordon also held funeral “prayers in absentia” for slain Palestinians, following congregational Friday prayers.
In Tunisia, judges observed a “national day of rage” against Israeli attacks on Palestinians across all courts.
They also carried out demonstrations in judicial uniforms in front of the Palace of Justice in Tunis and the rest of the headquarters of the Courts of Appeal.
In Mauritania, simultaneous demonstrations were held in front of the embassies of the US, Germany, and France, rejecting the “Israeli aggression” on Gaza.
People in the Somali capital of Mogadishu also took to the streets to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians.
Protesters, including religious figures, youth, and women, chanted anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian slogans.
Some of them were also seen carrying Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as “Stop the war crime,” “Free Palestine,” and “We demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, Palestine.”
Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Qudra said on Friday that at least 16 Palestinian Christians were among those killed in direct Israeli attacks on a Greek Orthodox church on Thursday evening in Gaza City.
Qudra added the death toll in Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing bombardment has climbed to 4,137, including 1,524 children and 1,000 women. The number of injured has risen to 13,300, he told a news conference, adding that over 1,000 others are missing.
