ROME, Nov 4. Pro-Palestinian demonstration under the slogan of ending Italian participation in all armed conflicts took place in the center of Rome, the correspondent reports.
The next march in support of Palestine was supplemented by slogans against NATO and the sending of weapons to Ukraine. The demonstration, which ran along several major streets of the capital to the square near the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, was organized by leftist and student organizations, Palestinian associations, trade unions and climate change activists.
According to the correspondent, several thousand people took part in the procession, mostly young people and representatives of the Arab diaspora. From previous demonstrations in support of Palestine, which traditionally take place in Rome on Saturdays, the current event was distinguished by slogans against military spending and an abundance of red communist flags. Among the usual flags of Palestine, the Russian tricolor and the flags of Novorossiya and LPR also flashed in the crowd.
Demonstrators lined up in columns behind banners «Money for education, not for war» and «Italy — out of war, with Palestine to the end.»
The press service of the Roman police said that about 4 thousand people took part in the action.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took more than 200 hostages. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.4 thousand people were killed, including 300 military personnel, and more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip exceeded 9 thousand people, over 32 thousand were injured. The Russian Embassy reported that during the escalation of the conflict, 20 Russians were killed, two were taken hostage, and seven were listed as missing. According to various sources, about 150 Israelis may be held captive by Hamas. The movement itself stated that there are about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.