Thousands of Palestinian supporters took to the streets across the Middle East and beyond

Mass rally in Baghdad in support of Palestinians

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of several Middle Eastern capitals on Friday in support of Palestinians amid Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the attack by Hamas terrorists.

“No occupation! No to America! chanted demonstrators gathered in central Baghdad after Muqtada Sadr, the Shiite leader, called for a protest “in support of the Gaza Strip” and against Israel.

«This rally aims to condemn what is happening in occupied Palestine, the bloodshed and the violation of rights,» said Abu Kayan, the protest organizer.

The Gaza Strip has been under heavy Israeli bombardment since Saturday, when Hamas militants stormed the southern border of Israel and killed more than 1,300 people.

Israeli strikes killed more than 1,799 people in Gaza, which has been under a land, sea and air blockade for more than 15 years.

Police among protesters in Amman, Jordan An Israeli flag was burned in Baghdad

Anti-Israel protests also took place in Iran Friday.

< p>In the capital Tehran, demonstrators waved Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese Hezbollah flags and held banners reading “Down with America” and “Down with Israel.”

Similar gatherings took place in other Iranian cities where they were burned American and Israeli flags.

Iran, a country with a predominantly Shiite Muslim but non-Arab population, supports Hamas financially and militarily. Israel is their common sworn enemy.

A demonstrator is carried away from the Place de la République in Paris

In Jordan, which has long concluded peace treaty with neighboring Israel, more than 10,000 people gathered in central Amman near the Husseini Grand Mosque, following calls for protests from the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and several leftist and youth groups.

In the Gulf state of Bahrain, hundreds of worshipers chanted “Death to Israel!” and «Death to America!» before Friday prayers at the Diraz mosque.

Hundreds of people then joined the protest march, some waving Palestinian flags and others trampling on the Israeli and US emblems lying on the ground.

< img src=" /wp-content/uploads/2023/10/647bcbcc169cb26938f6ce0978dcdfd3.jpg" />Supporters of Pakistan's Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami in Lahore Police restrain a protester outside the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo

In the Saudi capital In Riyadh, Arabia, where protests are banned, police handcuff a worshiper who interrupted Friday prayers by shouting at the imam: “Talk about Palestine! Gaza is under bombing!”

In Lebanon, supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah held a rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut in support of the Palestinians.

Naim Kassem, deputy leader of Hezbollah, said this at the event. will be “fully prepared” to join its ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time comes.

Protests also took place in Pakistan and non-Muslim countries, including Japan.

In France, where President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on Israel to take “strong” action. but a “fair” response to the Hamas attack. The French government has banned «pro-Palestinian demonstrations because they could cause disruption to public order.»