Derry Peace Bridge draped with Palestinian flags as thousands demand ceasefire
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The Derry Branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said there was an ‘incredible turnout’ for its annual New Year's Eve Vigil for Palestine.
Catherine Hutton, Derry IPSC chair, said the event was organised to demand ‘an end to the genocide in Gaza’ and ‘a ceasefire now’.
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Hide AdMs. Hutton also called for local politicians to boycott the annual St. Patrick's Day reception in the White House in 2024 while ‘the US is arming Israel and refusing to join the massive international pressure for a ceasefire’.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 21,672 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas-lead incursion into Israel on October 7 in which at least 1,000 civilians, 347 Israeli soldiers and 58 police officers were killed.
About 70 per cent of those killed in Gaza are reported to be women and children. Another 56,165 Palestinians have been reportedly injured since.
Ms. Hutton pointed to the 1.2 million internally displaced people in Gaza who have been left ‘homeless, starving with no water, no medicines and who are being ravaged by the cold weather and diseases’.
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Hide AdThe United Nations, meanwhile, has pointed out that hundreds of Palestinians have also been killed in the West Bank since October 7.
Khaled Khiari, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific, reported that, since October, 304 Palestinians, including 79 children, have been killed in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence remains a grave concern.
Four Israelis, including three members of the Israel Defence Forces, were killed in attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank, and another four Israelis were killed by Palestinians during an attack in West Jerusalem.
Following Sunday’s protest in Derry Ms. Hutton called for an intensification of boycott campaigns, solidarity protests and announced that the Derry Branch of IPSC will be holding a march as part of the Global Day of Action for Gaza on Saturday January 13, 12pm starting from the train station, Waterside to the Guildhall Square for a rally.