Protests around the world commemorate one year of Israel’s war on Gaza

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in major cities around the world to condemn Israel’s assault on Gaza as the war in the Palestinian territory reaches the one-year mark.

In New Delhi, about 150 protesters gathered on Monday in a peaceful rally to support the Palestinian people.

“Every day, people are dying. They don’t have food. They are starving,” activist Bhavna Sharma said.

Carrying a placard that read “Stop the massacre”, Sharma, 52, said she condemned India’s support of Israel, including weapons sales. “Why are we sending arms to Israel?” she asked. “Why are we supporting Israel in any way?”

Waving Hamas flags and carrying portraits of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, hundreds of people rallied in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. About 400 Palestinian protesters of all ages and representing various political factions marched under the slogan “We will not lose faith in the revolution.” Beyond the characteristic yellow and green flags of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and of the Palestinian movement Hamas, protesters also waved the flags of Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday outside the embassy of the United States to demand Washington, Israel’s top military supplier and ally, stop sending weapons to Israel.

“We are appealing to the hearts of all the leaders of the world to rise up and move and liberate them [the Palestinians] from the oppression carried out by Israel,” a demonstrator told Al Jazeera.

In Cape Town, South Africa, hundreds walked to parliament, chanting: “Israel is a racist state!” and “We are all Palestinian!”

German police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district on Sunday as they marked the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7 last year.

Demonstrators gathered at Kottbusser Tor square holding banners with slogans such as “Stop arming Israel,” “End the genocide” and “Freedom for Gaza”. They also condemned police violence during pro-Palestine rallies over the past year.

Police halted the march near Kottbusser Damm and the Lenau Street intersection, preventing protesters from advancing to Hermannplatz. Clashes erupted, leading to a heavy-handed police response. Several demonstrators were detained, including a disabled protester in a wheelchair who was dragged into a police vehicle.

Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas led attacks on Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics, and taking about 250 others captive.

Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,900 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The war in the besieged enclave has displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people, who have been subjected to widespread hunger and disease, leading to genocide allegations against Israel by several countries at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.