Fifth demonstration for Gaza ceasefire in Brussels draws 7,500 protesters

Around 7,500 people gathered on Sunday afternoon near Brussels North station to take part in the fifth national demonstration for a ceasefire in Gaza and justice for the Palestinians. The action was organised by a coalition of 54 civil society organisations.

The demonstrators marched from Boulevard Roi Albert II through the centre of the capital to North station, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Stop the genocide". There was a large police presence.

As in previous rallies, the coalition called on the Belgian government to put economic and diplomatic pressure on Israel. They also want Belgium to support legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice and to stop any complicity in the violence. In particular, they want Belgium to initiate a full international military embargo and ban all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Since the start of the war between the radical Islamist movement Hamas and Israel on 7 October, 31,645 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. A further 73,676 people have been injured.

^{© BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}

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