In Pictures
Protests called by university unions demonstrate against Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, in Barcelona, Spain. [Alejandro Garcia/EPA]Published On 17 Nov 202317 Nov 2023
Demonstrators the world over have rallied in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, condemning the high rate of civilian casualties in Israeli attacks and calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Protests were held on Thursday across Spain and in Mexico City, Rotterdam, New York, Rabat and elsewhere.
People also showed solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for a ceasefire during various 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers across Asia.
Students across Spain held a second strike following similar action last month. University and high school students gathered in 38 cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Madrid.
Calls for a ceasefire to protect civilians in Gaza have grown more than a month into the war, which started after Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7.
Israel responded to Hamas’s attack with air strikes and a ground invasion of northern Gaza, vowing to remove Hamas from power and crush its military capabilities.
At least 11,500 Palestinians have been killed, two-thirds of them women and minors, according to Palestinian health authorities. Another 2,700 have been reported missing, believed to be buried under rubble.
Internet and telephone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday over a lack of fuel, triggering a blackout of communications that could be long term.
Israel has signalled its offensive against Hamas could next target the south, where most of the enclave’s two-million-strong population has taken refuge.
In response to the call of student unions, strikes and demonstrations expressing support for Palestinians took place across Spain for the second time since Israel unleashed its attacks on Gaza. [Senhan Bolelli/Anadolu]Demonstrators chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Israeli occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. [AFP]The Amistad (Friendship) and Plataforma Comun de Apoyo a Palestina (Common Platform of Support for Palestine) organisations rallied in front of the Israeli embassy in Mexico City to denounce the deaths of minors and ask ‘for the genocide to end’. [Isaac Esquivel/EPA]Protesters held a sit-in at Eindhoven central station in the Netherlands to show support for Gaza. [Rob Engelaar/EPA]A sit-in showing solidarity for Palestine also took place at Rotterdam central station in the Netherlands. [Rob Engelaar/EPA]
Activists from the American Palestinian Women’s Association and Code Pink gather in the office of Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin in Washington, DC. The groups sought to urge female senators to call for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza. [Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA]People holding Palestinian flags and banners demonstrated to show solidarity with Palestinians in New York, United States. [Fatih Aktas/Anadolu]Iraq supporters wave the Palestinian flag during the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC (Asian Football Confederation) qualifier between Iraq and Indonesia at the Basra International Stadium, Iraq. [Hussein Faleh/AFP]Fans wave Palestinian flags during the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifier between Qatar and Afghanistan at the Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar. [Karim Jaafar/AFP]Palestine’s starting XI gather for their national anthem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifier between Lebanon and Palestine at the Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]