Over 1,500 people participated in Paris, nearly 250 people in Lille, 300 to 400 in Rennes, 300 in Strasbourg. Gatherings took place in support of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which was hit by Israeli bombings aimed at eliminating Hamas, after the group’s attack on Israel nearly four months ago. In Paris, “1,500 participants” marched from Bastille to Nation at the call of the CAPJPO-EuroPalestine association. They chanted “Immediate ceasefire” as they marched to the Nation, where another rally in support of the Palestinian people was organized by Urgence Palestine. Banners and signs reading “From Paris to Gaza, resistance,” “Long live the resistance of the Palestinian people,” “Free Palestine, Stop genocide,” were displayed, alongside Palestinian flags of all sizes, according to an AFP reporter. Some of the protesters wore a keffiyeh, the traditional black and white cotton scarf of the Palestinians. “The key word is ceasefire,” said Europalestine President Olivia Zémor, who called for “not allowing Israel to continue its massacres” in Gaza. Rachida Ouazzani came with her partner to “send a message of peace” and promote “a single solution: the political solution.” “It’s a global movement that goes beyond ‘Black Lives Matter’,” believes Kadra, 50, who shares dates on the way and did not want to give her last name. “I don’t understand how we can remain silent.” There were also gatherings in a few other cities: nearly 250 people in Lille, 300 to 400 in Rennes, 300 in Strasbourg. In the Alsatian capital, two banners opened the march, proclaiming “Stop the massacre in Gaza, immediate ceasefire” and “We want peace.” “In Gaza, they have nothing and I don’t understand how we can remain silent,” said Charazad Allame, a 59-year-old special education teacher, wearing a scarf with the colors of Palestine around her waist. “It means that we can do anything to humans, and we don’t move.” Bernard Sibieude, 72, an LFI activist, “regrets seeing that the international community is indifferent to 20,000 deaths in three months.”Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the unprecedented attack on its territory by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, which led to the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians. The relentless Israeli bombings and ground invasion in retaliation have killed 22,600 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally from the Gaza Ministry of Health released on Friday.
