Thousands of people in Sweden, France protest Israel’s war
Thousands of people gathered in Stockholm and Paris to protest their governments’ silence on Israel’s deadly attacks and starvation campaign, calling for immediate international intervention and sanctions.
In Stockholm, hundreds of people gathered at Odenplan Square urging the Swedish government to take a stand against Israel’s ongoing war crimes in Gaza.
Protesters marched to Sweden’s Foreign Ministry chanting “Freedom for Palestine” and “No to Netanyahu’s Plan.” Swedish activist Lars Ohly said it is unacceptable that Sweden remained silent when more than 50,000 people have been killed, including more than 15,000 children.
In Paris, Palestinian supporters gathered at Bourse Square to demand sanctions against Israel and unhindered passage of aid convoys into Gaza.
Demonstrators highlighted the dire food shortage by banging empty pots and pans and chanting slogans such as “Israel is a murderer, Macron is an accomplice”.
“There is genocide in Gaza, we will not remain silent,” said Myriem, a 44-year-old protester. She described the restrictions on humanitarian relief to Gaza as “inhumane”.
Palestinian mothers describe pain of watching children suffer
Parents across the Gaza Strip are in a desperate fight to find food to feed their children.
Nady Nasrallah, a displaced mother in Gaza City, urged the world to help. “We need drinking water and food. My daughters have been asking for bread since this morning and we have nothing to give her,” Nasrallah told the AFP news agency.
Mervat Hijazi, a mother of nine who has also been displaced in Gaza City, said she feels ashamed for not being able to feed her family. “I cry at night when my baby cries and her stomach aches from hunger,” she told Reuters.
One of her children, six-year-old Zaha, can’t sleep because of Israel’s bombardment, Hijazi said.
“She wakes up terrified, shaking, and then remembers she didn’t eat and is hungry. I put her back to sleep, promising her food in the morning. Of course, I lie.”

Israel’s blockade means that charity kitchens in northern Gaza have only limited remaining supplies
Gaza City’s people face ‘severe water shortages’
In the besieged Palestinian enclave’s north, the Gaza City municipality warned of “a potential large-scale water crisis” because of a lack of supplies needed for urgent repairs to damaged infrastructure.
Destruction from the war has “affected the majority of Gaza’s water infrastructure, leaving large portions of the population vulnerable to severe water shortages”, it said.
Temperatures are rising and demand for drinking water is expected to increase, it added.
Last year, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” by denying clean water to Palestinians in Gaza, and called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions.

Children wait to receive desalinated water