MEXICO CITY

A massive protest rally was held in Mexico City, the country's capital, in support of Palestine on Sunday, condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Thousands of people took to the streets to express their outrage over the killing of Palestinians and demand an end to Israeli aggression.

The mass demonstration was called by more than 50 civil organizations in the country. Students, workers, feminist groups, and human rights activists mobilized thousands of people from different backgrounds in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The marchers occupied the city's main avenue and major landmarks, expressing solidarity with Palestine.

The demonstrators marched through the Angel de la Independencia and the Monument to the Revolution, a route that has hosted different protests of the Mexican people denouncing violence and injustices.

The demonstrators carried banners calling out the murder of unarmed civilians by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupation of the Palestinian land.

A city police official told Anadolu that there were more than 1,800 protesters at the march.

While chanting in unison against the violence, the demonstrators carried placards calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a war criminal.”

Moreover, the organizers called out the Mexican government for its stand regarding the violence in Palestine.

“It is not just a matter of condemning or lamenting the deaths,” said Ara Galan, coordinator of the Committee for Solidarity with Palestine, one of the organizations behind the mass protest.

“Mexico must demand compliance with UN resolutions and international law and, in any case, break diplomatic and commercial ties with the occupying state,” Galan told Anadolu.

“We are united by justice. We are against the killing of innocents. Palestine has no army, it is a defenseless country. They (Israeli forces) kill innocent people and children,” a protester told Anadolu.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army continues to target Gaza with intensive airstrikes that have destroyed entire neighborhoods, killing 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children and 1,023 women, and injuring 14,245, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An unknown number of people are also trapped under the rubble.