BERLIN (AP) 鈥 Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the German capital on Saturday in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The demonstrators called for a conclusion to the , shouting slogans like 鈥渇ree, free Palestine,鈥 and they demanded an end to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Around 50,000 people took part in the march through Berlin’s downtown area, according to police. About 1,800 law enforcement officers were deployed to monitor the demonstrators.
The protesters also called for a halt to German arms exports to Israel and demanded European Union sanctions against Israel, German news agency dpa reported.
Last month, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany wouldn’t authorize any that could be used in Gaza 鈥渦ntil further notice.” The country has balked at supporting sanctions against Israel.
Germany has been seen as one of Israel鈥檚 strongest supporters. It has maintained a strongly pro-Israel stance for decades, largely because of its historical responsibility for , which has shaped its postwar foreign policy around ensuring Israel鈥檚 security and combating antisemitism.
In a separate protest, about 100 people rallied in favor of Israel and 鈥渁gainst all forms of antisemitism,鈥 German public broadcaster RBB reported, adding that there were isolated scuffles, when the two protest groups met. It wasn’t immediately clear if the scuffles were between the different protesters or with police trying to separate them.
Several thousand people also protested in the western German city of D眉sseldorf under the slogan 鈥渨e will not forget Gaza 鈥 freedom for Palestine and all oppressed peoples.鈥
In Geneva, about 6,000 people demonstrated for an end to the war in Gaza, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported.
Other have also seen in recent weeks.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the on Oct. 7, 2023. In the attack, militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. There are still 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive over the past 23 months has killed in Gaza, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry, destroyed vast areas of the Palestinian territory, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
The ministry is under the Hamas-run government. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. It doesn’t say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants.
