Protesters march during a rally for Gaza and Lebanon at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.     [James Ross/EPA]

Havana, September 29 (RHC)-- Hundreds of thousands have rallied around the world in response to Israel’s deadly military offensive in Lebanon and Gaza.  Solidarity protests have also been organized against the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Demonstrators expressed outrage and demanded an end to the Israeli violence in Gaza, describing the situation as a text-book case of genocide and insisting on global action.

Israel has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since it launched its offensive in October 2023.  Israel launched the war after more than 1,100 people were killed in an attack by Palestinian groups led by Hamas.

Palestinians have been fighting against Israeli occupation of their land for decades. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling on Israel to end the occupation.  The resolution came months after the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should swiftly be brought to an end.

Hundreds marched from Odenplan to the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags.  “Hands off Lebanon” and “Free Palestine” filled the air.  Swedish artist and activist Samuel Girma called Israel “a terrorist state” and urged a boycott of trade with Israel following “terror attacks on Beirut and Lebanon.”

Swedish doctor Uno Horn condemned Israel’s operations. “They are killing children,” said Horn.  “It’s not war; it’s a terror attack.”

Similar protests unfolded in Helsinki, where demonstrators demanded an immediate end to Israeli operations in Lebanon.

In Paris, protesters gathered near the Innocents Fountain, holding banners that read “End the genocide in Gaza” and “Boycott Israel.”

Many wore keffiyehs and carried images of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2022.