CHICAGO (Dispatches) –
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in many cities around the world to denounce recent Zionist raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds.
In the U.S. city of Chicago, the protesters gathered at Wells & South Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago on Saturday, as they waved Palestinian flags and carried banners calling for Zionist troops “to take their hands off Al-Quds” and to stop their daily assaults on Palestinians, Palestine Official Wafa news agency reported.
The Zionist regime has ramped up its violent attacks on Palestinian worshippers in the mosque since the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Over the recent days, the Zionist troops have laid a siege on the holy occupied city of Al-Quds’ Old City, where the compound is located, and have started barring Palestinians between the ages of 40 to 45 from paying visits to the compound. In the meantime, Zionist settlers have been converging freely on the compound under heavy protection provided by the Israeli troops.
“This is the fight of the international proletariat revolutions…we see Zionists attacking our siblings, we cannot be quiet, we must denounce it!” Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause said, as he addressed the protesters.
Speaking during the rally, Lesley Williams from the Jewish Voice for Peace, also said, “How long will it be before Palestinian lives matter…? We wonder how can that be when the press highlights every single Israeli death but ignores the scores of Palestinians that die every year,” said.
In Pakistan, thousands of people took part in rallies in major cities, denouncing the Zionist attacks as “naked terrorism” and urging Islamic countries to intervene immediately to protect the sacred site and Palestinian lives.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, the rallies were held in the capital Islamabad, as well as in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, and other cities, in a display of solidarity with the people of Palestine.
In Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, thousands of people demonstrated against the Israeli onslaught on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, located in the Old City of occupied al-Quds.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi protesters carried banners and placards reading “Israel Will Pay High Price” and “Stop Brutality in Aqsa Mosque.”
Jordanians also attended a march following Friday prayers, organized by activists in the capital, Amman, to condemn the intensified Israeli brutalities.
Videos circulating online showed that thousands of people took part in the rally to express solidarity with their Palestinian brethren in occupied Al-Quds and demand an end to the Israeli forces’ desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Zionist troops are reportedly preparing for the possibility of a flare-up with fighters from Palestinian resistance groups based in the Gaza Strip following repeated incursions by the regime troops and settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of Al-Quds.
Channel 12 news reported that if the Tel Aviv regime’s decision to close its pedestrian crossing with the besieged coastal enclave does not curb rocket attacks, the Zionist military would resume strikes or even begin a wider operation against the sliver.
The unsourced report said the military is preparing for the possibility that the situation could escalate into several days of combat between Israel and Gaza-based resistance fighters.