Morocco: 100 protests in solidarity with Gaza and West Bank in one day

Over 100 demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians  were held across 58 cities in Morocco on Friday to denounce Israel’s war on Gaza which has been ongoing since October, the Moroccan Committee for Supporting the Nation’s Causes said.

The organisation, which has planned the protests, said the demonstrations took place in response to the assaults on Gaza as well as deadly new raids in the occupied West Bank.

The protests started directly after Friday prayers and were dubbed the "Friday of the flood". They were held in major cities across the kingdom, including in Casablanca, Agadir, Ahfir, Berkane and Oujda.

According to a report in Al Jazeera Arabic, people attending the protests in Morocco have vowed to continue showing solidarity with the Palestinians in the Strip until the war comes to an end and people in Gaza are able to survive again.

Morocco normalised ties with Israel at the end of 2020 in a controversial and unpopular deal brokered by the administration of former US President Donald Trump.

Protesters chanted slogans demanding a halt to Israeli bombardment and in support of Palestinians killed, imprisoned and wounded.

Others chanted "the people want to liberate Palestine" and "Morocco salutes a proud Palestine".

Since October, protests in Morocco in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have taken place on a frequent and regular basis.

The war on Gaza has killed at least 40,691 people since October and wounded at least 94,060 others . The assaults have levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.

Protests demanding a ceasefire and in support of Gaza have taken place around the world since October, including in the UK, Australia, France, the US, Lebanon and Turkey, among other countries.

Rights groups and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called for the end to hostilities and urged for emergency aid to help Palestinians amidst the ongoing war.

This week, Israeli forces launched new raids across the occupied West Bank, destroying infrastructure, besieging hospitals, and killing at least 20 people, while raising concerns that they could carry out a Gaza-style offensive in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The ongoing military operation is being described as the largest of its kind since 2002, marking a major escalation while Israel’s war on Gaza rages on.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, at least 637 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, the UN said on Wednesday, with over 10,000 others have been detained.

Palestinian rights groups including Al-Haq, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights and The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights called on the international community to immediately intervene and enact measures against Israel to ensure international laws are being abided by.