From Yemen to Italy, India, the Philippines and Greece, protesters have been brandishing placards, flying the Palestinian flag and lighting candles calling for an end to Israeli aggression and urging world leaders to step up their efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution to the Middle East crisis. 

Yemenis take part in a protest staged to show support to the Palestinian factions in their fight against Israel on 7 October 2023 in Sana’a, Yemen. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud / Getty Images)

Police in riot gear block a student march for Palestine and against the siege of Gaza that left from La Sapienza University to arrive at Piazza Vittorio where a demonstration by Palestinian students for free Palestine and with resistance in Gaza is being held on 13 October 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo: Stefano Montesi – Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images)

Children play under a huge Palestine flag during a protest against Israel after a Tarawih prayer at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, 5 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Erdem Sahin)

Police in Paris used tear gas and water cannons to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters after authorities were ordered to ban all demonstrations in support of Palestine, with French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin saying protests were “likely to generate disturbances of public order”.

A dozen young people climb the statue with the flags of different Arab countries at the banned demonstration in support of the Palestinian people on Republic Square in Paris, France, 12 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Teresa Suarez)

A riot policeman grabs a demonstrator who wanted to pass the police cordon during banned demonstration in support of the Palestinian people at the Republique Square in Paris, France, 12 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Teresa Suarez)

Protesters light candles during a pro-Israeli vigil in front of Downing Street in London, Britain, 9 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / NEIL HALL)

In the United Kingdom, where this Daily Maverick reporter is based, protesters marched in cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and London demanding an end to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s support of Israel. The BBC’s New Broadcasting House building in London was defaced with red paint, with a pro-Palestinian group claiming responsibility, saying it was protesting against the broadcaster’s “biased reporting” on the war.

Palestine Action left a message overnight for the @BBC: spreading the occupation’s lies and manufacturing consent for israel’s war crimes means that you have Palestinian blood on your hands #ShutBBCDown https://t.co/wjAPXo8GjJ pic.twitter.com/l5xLYXKVeD

— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) October 14, 2023

There was a heavy police presence in London. One thousand officers were deployed and, according to reports, law enforcement officials warned that anyone publicly supporting Hamas or wearing a face covering to conceal their identity would be arrested.

People participate in a rally against the occupation of Palestine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Perth, Australia, 13 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Richard Wainwright)

Demonstrators gather in support of Palestine and march towards the Parliament in Cape Town on 13 October 2023. (Photo: Kyra Wilkinson)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged solidarity with Palestine, speaking to the media during the course of a National Executive Committee meeting in Boksburg, South Africa, on 14 October.

“We stand here because we are deeply concerned about the atrocities occurring in the Middle East and we have passed our condolences to the people of Israel as we are passing condolences to the people of Palestine,” Ramaphosa said.

“We have a full understanding of how the people of Palestine have taken up this issue because they are people … under occupation for almost 75 years. [They] have been waging a struggle against an oppressive government that has occupied its land,” he said.

A woman shouts slogans during a demonstration in support of Palestinians for free Palestine on 13 October 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo: Antonio Masiello / Getty Images)

Yemenis take part in a protest staged to condemn the Israeli attacks on civilians on 13 October 2023 in Sana’a, Yemen. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud / Getty Images)

The conflict was sparked last Saturday after Hamas fighters breached the Gaza border, killing more than 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians, and taking hostages. Since then, according to Palestinian health ministry sources, the death toll in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank had reached 2,383 by Sunday, with almost 10,000 people wounded following unrelenting bombing by Israel. 

Palestinians living in Greece take part in a Free Palestine rally outside the Parliament building in Athens, Greece, 12 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / YANNIS KOLESIDIS)

A pro-Palestine activist holds a placard as he gets detained by the police during an anti-Israel protest, in New Delhi, India, 13 October 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Harish Tyagi)

A protester holds a placard ‘#SAVE PALESTINE’ during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians after Israel police raid inside Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 07 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Fazry Ismail)

High-rise buildings have been razed to the ground, hospitals have been hit and tens of thousands of residents in the northern regions of Gaza have been ordered to evacuate to the south amid a looming ground offensive. Israel formally declared war on Hamas last Sunday, 8 October.

International organisations, including the United Nations, have called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population. 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is looking to raise $104-million for its humanitarian response over the next three months to respond “to the immediate food, non-food, health, shelter and protection needs of up to 250,000 persons seeking safety”, according to a press release. DM