On Sunday, activists in Valletta, Malta, demanded a ceasefire in the Middle East and an end to “Zionist terror,” marking one year since Israel’s invasion of Gaza following a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants.
The attack killed 1,200 Israelis, primarily civilians, and led to around 200 hostages being taken. In response, Israel’s retaliation has resulted in over 41,870 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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During the protest, Palestinian ambassador Fadi Hanania criticized the international community for its inaction, describing the ongoing violence as genocide.
‘We cannot stand idly by as we witness one year of genocide in Gaza and 76 years of relentless oppression by Israel against the Palestinian people. Since its establishment, the State of Israel has pursued a systematic campaign to expel Palestinians from their land in order to colonise its. For Palestinians, this has resulted in decades of occupation, apartheid, and ongoing massacres’, said the activist organisations in a joint statement.
‘In the last year alone, over 42,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, have been massacred in Gaza, while the remaining population is subjected to starvation and disease. In the occupied West Bank, violence against Palestinians has intensified through Israeli settler attacks, and Israeli forces have escalated their assaults on villages, refugee camps, journalists, and activists.’
Protesters marched through Valletta with banners calling for an end to the killing of civilians and the recognition of the Palestinian state. A giant Palestinian flag and shoes representing the dead were displayed near the parliament building.
Lebanese speaker Joanna Jebaili condemned Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon, which she said killed thousands, including children, and displaced 1.2 million.
Andre Callus of Moviment Graffitti accused the Maltese government of softening its stance on Palestine and urged recognition of the Palestinian state. He also called for stopping arms shipments to Israel from passing through Maltese territory.
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