University students in West Bank hold solidarity demonstration with Gaza

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Students at a university in the northern West Bank city of Nablus organized a solidarity demonstration on Sunday with the Gaza Strip.

An-Najah National University students and staff protested Israel’s attacks on the enclave, which began last October.

Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas said the demonstration expressed "the rejection of the genocide in Gaza" and reflected the national unity of Palestine.

The university’s spokesperson, Riad al-Dabai, underlined the importance of "supporting Gaza, which was exposed to the genocidal war, and the victory of the Palestinian people."

Israel has killed more than 34,400 Palestinians since an Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 hostages were taken.

The conflict has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and that it guarantees that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar