Thousands of people line the streets of Derry in support of Palestine

Marchers gathered at the Waterside Transport Hub, where political representatives called for an end to the killing of Palestinians, before marching to the Guildhall Square.

Speakers included SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood; Sinn Féin Councillor Sandra Duffy; People Before Profit Councillor Sean Harkin; Independent Councillor Gary Donnelly; Chairperson of Derry Trades Union Council Niall McCarroll; Kate Nash, whose brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday; Tony Doherty, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust; and Majida Alaskari, a Palestinian woman who has been living in Buncrana.

Fadl Mustapha, a Palestinian living in the North West said: “It’s hard to believe and accept that we are still gathering at events nearly 100 days later. It is difficult to believe and accept that the Palestinians in Gaza are still going through a genocidal hell. It’s hard to comprehend that there are still those who want to comprehend Israel’s actions.

"As a Palestinian, I am sick and tired of trying to convince the world of my humanity, of my right to life. It’s time for the world to convince me of their humanity. I see a moral failure and moral bankruptcy and this genocide has laid it all bare. For the first time in history, victims are broadcasting, in real time, their own genocide. It’s being live-streamed and recorded by the people who are being slaughtered on a daily basis and yet the international community is failing to take note, failing to act.

"For over 75 years the Palestinian people have been subject to inhumane treatment and this time is much worse than anything we have seen. But we will stand again in the midst of destruction like we have stood many times before, like we have always done. We will rise from this and show the world our precious life and show our resilience. If they are still not standing with our just cause, then it’s time for you to do so.”

Catherine Hutton, chair of Ireland Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Derry, said: "I will never forgive our governments for sitting on their hands and allowing this genocide to happen in Gaza. We vote these people in to represent us and they have brought shame on us. They refuse to listen to the voices of the people. Their complicity has dehumanised all of us.

"South Africa is a shining light in the darkness. The double standards of white western imperialism have been laid bare. We, the people, have the power to change this. We have a vote. And we in Derry know how important our votes are because we didn't have them. Any Irish politician who shakes the hands of Joe Biden can forget about our votes in the upcoming elections. Be on the side of the Palestinian people, be their voice. Let our governments know that we will not stand by while Palestinians are massacred, displaced and silenced. There is a petition calling on Irish politicians to boycott the White House. It is almost at 8,000 signatures. We want you to keep pushing this, sharing it, signing it. We want to send a message to our politicians that this is, if they cross the Rubicon and they go to Washington, they won't have our votes.”

Becca Borr, a Jewish American living in Derry and member of Jews for Palestine said: “I stand with the hundreds of thousands of Jews and millions of others around this world to say that we charge genocide. This genocide is not in our name. The occupation of Palestine is not in our name. The bombardment of Gaza is not in our name. The internment of Palestinians is not in our name. The apartheid Israel is not in our name and the dehumanisation, the racism is not in our name.

"How dare the Israeli state use Judaism to commit mass murder, ethnic cleansing and occupation of the Palestinian people. How dare they! Now, South Africa has brought light and humanity to this dark day in human history with the charge of genocide. I watched those proceedings with a broken heart as the atrocities that we have been watching through our phones were enumerated with such clarity. But I watched it also with resolve that regardless of the judgment, the world charges genocide. The tide has turned against Israel and we see, the world sees the naked brutality of the Israeli state and we steadfastly stand with the Palestinian people against their occupation.

"The end of this month is holocaust memorial day and we say never again. Never again means never again to anyone, anywhere. When we learn about the holocaust, we always say ‘zachor’ – remember. Remember the dehumanisation of the Jews that allowed the context for the holocaust to happen. Remember the atrocities, remember the silence of the world. Remember the great powers that turned Jews away at their doorsteps rather than saving them during the holocaust. I used to ask ‘how could a holocaust like that happen?’ Well, we see it plainly before us today.”

Majida Alaskari shared how the solidarity and support from the Derry people is helping to free the Palestinian people. “I feel that it won’t be long until we’re standing here celebrating the freedom of Palestine and the Middle East,” she added. “We are not just here calling for a stop to genocide in the Middle East, Africa and South Africa, we are here to tell the world that our brains are free. Our eyes are open to what is happening around us.

“We are fighting for freedom so stop using islamophobia and antisemitism as an excuse. This was created to spread hate between us. We love each other and support each other.”