Cairo/Baghdad, Oct. 13, (dpa/GNA) - From Egypt to Iraq, thousands of people on Friday rallied in Arab countries to show support for Palestinians against the Israeli airstrikes pounding the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, which rules Gaza, unleashed a large-scale surprise attack against Israel over the weekend, prompting rolling Israeli strikes against the densely populated enclave.
Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States and Israel.
In Egypt, worshippers protested in support of Palestinians following the Friday noon prayers at al-Azhar Mosque, a major Islamic site in Cairo, privately owned newspaper al-Shorouk reported online.
The paper posted pictures of some demonstrators unfurling the Palestinian flag in the courtyard of the mosque and quoted them as chanting, “With soul and blood, we sacrifice for al-Aqsa,” a reference to Islam’s third holiest site in Jerusalem.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Cairo has mediated in previous conflicts between Palestinians and Israel.
In Jordan, which also has diplomatic links with Israel, thousands of protesters took to the streets, with security forces dispersing demonstrators trying to reach the border area with the Palestinian territory of the West Bank.
Jordanian police urged people to adhere to designated protest areas, emphasizing that they would not allow for any violations.
A video aired on the regional Al-Arabiya TV showed tear gas fired to push back protesters.
The Jordanian Interior Ministry warned that demonstrations along the borders will not be allowed.
Protesters also gathered Friday in central Amman and other provinces of the kingdom expressing solidarity with Gaza.
The Lebanese pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, meanwhile, reaffirmed readiness to fight against Israel and defend Palestinians.
“We are supportive and ready, and we are following moment by moment the battle…and when the time comes for any action, we will take it,” the group’s deputy secretary general, Naeem Kassem, told hundreds of Hezbollah supporters in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
He said the Hamas attack on October 7 proved that the Israeli army is weak.
“We are in a time of victories and not in a time of defeats. Expect everything,” he warned.
In Baghdad, thousands of followers of influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr converged on al-Tahrir Square in response to his call for holding a 1-million-strong demonstration in support of Palestinians.
Waving the Iraqi and Palestinian flags and raising al-Sadr’s pictures, the demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and the United States, witnesses added.
“We cherish Jerusalem and Palestine is in our hearts,” al-Sadr said in a message to the demonstrators read out on his behalf.
Al-Sadr is known for his fiery rhetoric against the US and Israel.
The 49-year-old cleric called on his followers to prepare a convoy of humanitarian aid for Palestinians.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that a pro-Palestinian rally was held in the capital Damascus.
The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has faced a 12-year-old armed rebellion, maintains close ties with Israel’s sworn foes: Iran and Hezbollah.
Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel and medicines to Gaza, prompting dire warnings about the conditions faced by civilians in the impoverished territory.
GNA