Thousands rally in Pakistan on 1st anniversary of Israel-Hamas war

Thousands of men, women and children packed the main artery of Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.

Organized by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the country's mainstream religious political party, the "Al-Aqsa Million March" was supported by the center-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, a Shiite Muslim political and religious party, trade and bar associations, and several pro-Palestine groups, Christians and Hindus.

Thousands chanted "Labbaik ya Aqsa" (Aqsa we are here) and "Labbaik ya Gaza"(Gaza we are here) in unison, waving Palestinian and Pakistani flags.

"Stop genocide in Gaza" said the main banner, while another banner said "Al-Aqsa, your defense is our faith."

Many participants carried placards bearing pictures of Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and slain leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah.
Some women participants carried large size portraits of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar with the caption "Hamas is our pride."

"We are here to support Palestinians and their just struggle against a terrorist state," Bushra Abdul Ghafoor, a pharmacy student at a local university, told Anadolu.

"Enough is enough. The world must practically act against the ongoing genocide in Gaza," she said, noting that the US and its European allies have adopted a policy of "selective justice" when it comes to Palestinians.

Expressing a similar view, Asif Khosa, a PPP leader, said all of Pakistan stands with Palestinians.

"I along with hundreds of other PPP workers am here on the directive of our chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to show that we are one when it comes to Palestine, despite our ideological differences," Kosa said, holding a tri-colored party flag.

"Our hearts are bleeding for Palestinians' suffering," said Yunus Sohan, a local Christian leader, adding that Israeli forces have not spared mosques and churches.

Addressing the rally, JI chief Hafiz Naeem Ur Rahman blasted the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for its "criminal silence" over the carnage in Gaza, praising countries including South Africa, which brought a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and the people of the US and Europe who have held the "torch of justice."

"Three hundred sixty-four days have passed, and the resistance is still alive. We all will keep this resistance alive, come what may," Rahman said.

The PPP president for Sindh province, which includes Karachi, criticized the UN and the international community for "letting Israel murder thousands of Palestinians."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,800 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 96,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.