The scepter of conflagration hovers over the Middle East. Thousands of people demonstrated across the Arab world on Wednesday following the deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, large rallies were held in several capitals the day after the tragedy that left at least 471 people dead. However, according to a senior European intelligence official, the number would be much lower: “probably between 10 and 50.” Hamas accused Israel of being behind the attack. The Hebrew state, which claims it has “evidence,” blamed the explosion on a failed rocket attack by Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally. This version is supported by Joe Biden.
Around 10,000 demonstrators in Amman
On Wednesday, around 10,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman to demand the exclusion of the Israeli diplomatic mission. In Bahrain, which also normalized its relations with Israel in 2020, a handful of activists gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Manama, a neighborhood patrolled by police.
In Morocco, hundreds of protesters gathered near the American consulate in Casablanca to denounce Washington’s support for Israel. Demonstrators held banners condemning “genocide,” “apartheid,” and “occupation.”
In Tunisia, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy and condemned Western support for Israel. Other protests took place in other cities across the country. Around thirty people also gathered near the American embassy in a northern suburb of Tunis.
A demonstration called by Hezbollah in Lebanon
In Lebanon, hundreds of people took part in a demonstration called by pro-Iran Hezbollah and Hamas allies in their stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Several hundred people also went to the area around the American embassy in Awkar.
In Baghdad, around 200 people demonstrated near an entrance to the Green Zone, a fortified sector of the Iraqi capital that houses foreign embassies, including that of the United States. While chanting “No, no to America” and “Death to Israel,” protesters waved flags of several Iraqi factions loyal to Iran and portraits of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In Damascus, Syria, hundreds of people waving Palestinian flags gathered near parliament, many wearing T-shirts with the image of President Bashar al-Assad. Thousands of Egyptians also took to the streets in various cities across the country, where protests are usually illegal.
Finally, Yemen saw a massive demonstration in support of Palestinians in the capital Sanaa, which is in the hands of the Houthi rebels and is close to Iran. Rallies also took place in government-controlled areas.