Rabat – The New Year in Ramallah was marked by a strong display of solidarity as thousands of Palestinians gathered in a massive rally to denounce the Israeli occupation forces aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Organized by national forces and the student movement at Birzeit University, the rally took place in the heart of the city and coincided with the 87th consecutive day of Israeli aggression in Gaza.
The midnight gathering saw participants lifting pictures and names of Palestinians who have lost their lives during the new cycle og violence which began on October 7.
The demonstrators sang chants condemning the Israeli occupation’s crimes and demanding national unity, Palestine’s news agency WAFA reported.
In addition, they urged the international community to intervene immediately, emphasizing the need to halt the ongoing bloody war.
Israeli aggression in Gaza and the West Bank has claimed the lives of nearly 22,000 civilians and injured over 56,000 others.
Thousands of Palestinians remain missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
In addition, the Israeli army has caused massive devastation to Gaza’s infrastructure, destroying over two-thirds of the region’s residential units and the majority of hospitals.
The ongoing Gaza devastation has led to severe food and water shortages, forcing 85% of the region’s population, over 1.9 million people, to evacuate.
The situation is extremely dire, with the UNRWA warning that 40% of the population faces a famine threat.
Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, grimly said: “Every day is a struggle for survival, finding food and finding water.”
The international community has strongly condemned the use of food and water as weapons against the vulnerable population of Gaza.
