RAMALLAH/WASHINGTON – Protesters staged anti-Israel rallies around the Middle East on Wednesday, some of them turning violent, to voice rage at an explosion that killed hundreds of Palestinians at a hospital.
The blast occurred on Tuesday at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Palestinian officials said 471 people were killed.
It was the deadliest incident in Gaza during the latest flare up in violence between Israel and Hamas.
The two sides have blamed each other for the explosion.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah in the West Bank during protests over the blast, Palestinian officials said.
In Lebanon, security forces fired tear gas and water canon at protesters who were throwing projectiles as a protest near the US Embassy north of Beirut turned violent, footage by Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed showed.
“America is the devil, the real devil, because it supported Israel, and then all the world is blind. You don’t see what happened yesterday?“ said Lebanese demonstrator Mohammed Taher.
State-sponsored marches were held across Iran, backer of Hamas and Israel’s sworn foe, with demonstrators carrying banners that read “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.
“Every drop of blood of Palestinians killed in this war, brings the Zionist regime (Israel) closer to its downfall,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a televised speech.
Demonstrations were not confined to the Muslim world or the Middle East.
Hundreds of Jewish peace activists rallied in Washington, calling on the Biden administration and Congress to press for a ceasefire.
Some 200 demonstrators, many from the Jewish Voice for Peace group, filled the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building near the US Capitol, chanting, “The world is watching”.
They wore black T-shirts emblazoned with the messages “Jews Say Cease Fire Now” and “Not in Our Name”.
The US Capitol Police said officers began arresting protesters who refused to comply with orders to disperse. Some 500 other protesters blocked off Independence Avenue outside.
Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli air strike for Tuesday’s explosion in northern Gaza. Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame.
The latest bloodshed enraged a region in crisis since Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, carried out a rampage against communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, in which 1,400 people were killed and hostages were taken.
Nearly 3,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombing of the crowded coastal enclave, Gaza health authorities say.
In Iraq, about 300 supporters of Iran-backed Shi’ite militia groups protested near a bridge which leads to the fortified Green Zone, home to the US Embassy and other foreign missions.
“Americans must know that their support to the terrorist Israel will bring them defeat and devastation,” militia member Said Ali Akbar said, waving a Palestinian flag.
In Amman, the riot police pushed back thousands of Jordanian protesters planning to march on the heavily fortified Israeli Embassy. Several police were injured in clashes with protesters who torched property near the embassy, the police said.
“No Zionist embassy on Arab land”, demonstrators chanted in the Jordanian capital after noon prayers.
In Tunis, protesters burned Israeli and American flags and demanded the expulsion of the US and French ambassadors for what they termed their unconditional support for Israel.
“They (Palestinians) have no food or water, and they are getting bombed. This is genocide, not war. This is a crime. We must find a solution,” said demonstrator Ines Laswed.
‘Revenge, revenge’
The protesters shouted slogans backing Hamas, including “Revenge... revenge... Oh Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv”.
In Yemen, thousands marched in the capital Sanaa. Mr Mohammed Ali Al-Rammah of the ruling Houthi movement denounced what he called Israeli lies and hatred.
“We will fight you,” he said.
In Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, thousands of people gathered for a protest, waving Hezbollah, Palestinian and Lebanese flags and chanting “Death to America”.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine told the rally that the group was “thousands of times stronger” than before and that the US, Israel and “malicious Europeans” should be careful.
Saudi Arabia urged its nationals to leave Lebanon, citing “current events” in the south of the Mediterranean country, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire at the border with Israeli forces.
France’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it was advising its citizens against any travel to Lebanon given the security situation, especially at Lebanon’s border with Israel.
Security concerns have risen across much of Europe, linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict and to attacks by other militant groups such as Islamic State. France says 24 of its citizens were among those killed in the Oct 7 attack.
Italy has stepped up surveillance, especially in crowded areas, and increased protection of sites that might be targets for attacks, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said. REUTERS
