Istanbul held the largest of multiple demonstrations being staged in Turkey. Footage showed crowds walking from the iconic Hagia Sophia to the banks of the Golden Horn, where they were greeted by dozens of boats decked in Turkish and Palestinian flags.
The marchers called for Muslim solidarity with Palestinians following midday prayers in front of the former Byzantine cathedral, now converted to a mosque.
The protests were among others planned Sunday in European cities to mark the second anniversary marking the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Israel's deadliest-ever war on the strip has killed at least 67,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.
An eight-month blockade has led the UN to officially declare famine in the strip, warning of a surge in malnutrition-related death if Israel does not allow the aid in for Gaza's 2.3 million people.
In the Turkish capital Ankara, protesters held up flags and placards condemning the “genocide” in Gaza. “This oppression, which began in 1948, has been continuing for two years, turning into genocide,” Recep Karabal of the Palestine Support Platform told crowds in the northern city of Kirikkale.
Support for Palestinians is widespread in Muslim-majority Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a leading critic of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
“The bloodshed must stop”
In the Netherlands, an estimated 250,000 people, most dressed in red, gathered in Amsterdam to press the government to take tougher action against Israel.
Sunday’s protest and march through the Dutch capital comes less than four weeks before national elections. Two “Red Line” demonstrations in The Hague earlier this year also drew tens of thousands of people.
After packing the central Museum Square, the protesters walked through the city center, holding Palestinian flags and peace emblems. One placard read “Stop Genocide,” another “Ashamed of the government.”
Thousands of protesters march demanding their government do more to halt Israel's campaign in Gaza, during a demonstration in Amsterdam, Netherlands. AP
The Dutch government has long been a staunch supporter of Israel but has in recent months been more critical as international support for Israel has ebbed. On Friday, Foreign Minister David van Weel said it was unlikely he would grant an export license to send parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.
“The bloodshed must stop. And that we unfortunately have to stand here because we have such an incredibly weak government that doesn’t dare to draw a red line. That’s why we are here. In the hope that it helps,” protester Marieke van Zijl said.
Marjon Rozema, a spokesperson for Amnesty International, one of the protest organizers, called for the use of “all economic and diplomatic means to increase pressure on Israel.”
Marches in Bulgaria and Morocco demand the release of flotilla activists
In the Bulgarian capital Sofia, demonstrators marched with signs including “Gaza: Starvation is a Weapon of War” and “Gaza is the Biggest Graveyard of Children.”
Organizers said they wanted to “pay tribute to the heroes of the Global Sumud Flotilla,” including Bulgarian activist Vasil Dimitrov.
“Our society – and the world – needs to hear that we stand with the Palestinian people,” protester Valya Chalamova said.
Moroccans from all walks of life took to the streets of the capital Rabat in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, many wearing Arab keffiyehs. An Israeli flag was burned near the front of the march as people called for a reversal of the kingdom’s decision five years ago to normalize relations with Israel.
Demonstrators lift flags of Palestine and banners during a march calling for an end to war in the Gaza Strip and protesting the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel, on Mohammed V avenue in Rabat. AFP
Protesters demanded the release of the flotilla activists, including Moroccan human rights defender Aziz Ghali, who remains in an Israeli prison.
A weekend of rallies across Europe
A day after mass demonstrations across Spain, thousands of people held smaller marches in several cities, calling for an “end to genocide” and trade relations with Israel.
Rallies in Santiago and Gijon, both in the north of Spain, were among the largest, with several thousand attendees. In Gijon, a group of women marched carrying white bundles symbolizing the bodies of Palestinian children killed in Gaza.
Sunday's demonstrations came a day after hundreds of thousands marched in Rome, Barcelona and Madrid in a show of growing international outrage at Israel’s two-year genocidal war on Gaza. Smaller rallies took place in Paris, Lisbon, Athens and Skopje, North Macedonia, and in London and Manchester.
Hamas said it has accepted some elements of a plan laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the Israeli war, which is now recognised as a genocide by the United Nations, genocide scholars, prominent rights groups, and aid agencies.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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