Thousands of Islamists called Sunday for jihad (holy war) against Israel in a day of protests in Pakistan to show support for the people of Palestine by the conflict between Israeli forces and the armed group Hamas.
The protests were organized by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) formations in the cities of Islamabad and Quetta, respectively, and in both the organizers urged to wage holy war against Israeli forces.
“Millions of Pakistanis are ready to wage jihad for the people of Gaza,” JI chief Siraj ul Haq said in a speech in the Pakistani capital.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags and carried slogans calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel, stop your terrorism,” Haq added, as he lamented “smelling the blood of martyrs” in Gaza because of the war.
In Quetta, the most populous city in Balochistan province, JUI-F leaders also showed their support for the Palestinian people and called on their followers to act.
“The women and children of Palestine are calling you, the dead bodies of Palestinians are calling you,” cried one of the speakers during the protest.
The JI leader had announced that he would hold a “march to Gaza” in front of the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, but the administration denied permission to hold this protest, near the diplomatic enclave, known as the Red Zone.
In fact, several JI leaders were arrested the day before by the authorities while making preparations for the rally, in defiance of the banning order.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in this war since the Islamist group’s October 7 attack on Israeli territory, which included rocket fire and the incursion of more than 2,000 militiamen, who tortured, killed and kidnapped villagers from Israeli villages near the Palestinian enclave, killing more than 1,400 people, wounding 5,000 and taking 220 hostages.
Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with 1.4 million people – more than half its population – displaced to the south of the Strip after Israel ordered the evacuation of the northern half for security reasons.
Since then, the Israeli army has shelled daily and killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, including 3,342 minors, according to figures released today by the Gazan Health Ministry.