Iraq activists call for demonstrations to support Palestinians in Gaza
Iraq activists call for demonstrations to support Palestinians in Gaza/node/2392706/middle-east
Iraq activists call for demonstrations to support Palestinians in Gaza
Protesters take part in an anti-Israeli demonstration at Tahrir Square in Baghdad on October 13, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. (AFP)
Iraq activists call for demonstrations to support Palestinians in Gaza
Protests to back ‘Palestinian resistance factions in the face of the usurping Israeli occupation’
Updated 17 October 2023
Arab News
CAIRO: Iraqi activists have called for demonstrations on Friday across Baghdad to support “besieged” Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israeli war and occupation.
“The Preparatory Committee announced the organization of massive popular demonstrations in Baghdad and the rest of the country’s governorates, in support of the brothers in Palestine and in solidarity with the besieged Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian resistance factions in the face of the usurping Israeli occupation,” according to a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency.
The statement added that one demonstration will be held at 4 p.m. near the Suspension Bridge in Baghdad.
It called on Iraqis from other governorates to hold similar actions in their cities.
“We call on all social and popular (activists), unions and federations to actively participate in this mass mobilization in support for the brothers and (resistance fighters) in the occupied Palestine,” the statement added.
Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war
Updated 2 sec ago
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut. Few days’ worth of supplies Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel’s two-year war with Hamas militants. “I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza. Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut. Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates. Israel’s COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population. “(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined to comment on potential fuel shortages. The truce was part of broader US-backed plan to end the war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid into the enclave, and rebuilding it. Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks. “Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” Abu Laila said.
