Europeans march in support of Palestine

LONDON/GAZA CITY — Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in European cities over the weekend calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza.

In London, AFP journalists saw tens of thousands of protesters, who waved Palestinian flags as they marched through the British capital clad in kaffiyeh scarves.

In Berlin, more than 10,000 people gathered in the center of the city in support of Gaza, according to police figures.

And in the Swiss capital Bern, march organizers estimated that 20,000 people rallied in front of the national parliament, urging the government to back a ceasefire.

Thousands also gathered outside a French trade fair near Paris attended by Israeli defense firms, calling for an end to war-profiteering and Israel's offensive in Gaza.

There have been monthly protests in the British capital since the start of the 20-month-long conflict, which has ravaged Gaza.

On Saturday, protesters there carried signs, including "Stop arming Israel", as they marched in the sweltering heat.

"It's important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now," said Harry Baker, 34, adding this was his third pro-Palestinian protest.

Famine-like conditions

Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions, according to United Nations agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade.

The Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday that 450 people had been killed and 3,466 others injured while seeking aid in near-daily incidents since late May.

"People need to keep their eyes on Gaza," said 60-year-old protester Nicky Marcus.

"That's where the genocide is happening."

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed at least 12 people on Saturday, including eight who had gathered near aid distribution sites.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that three people were killed by gunfire from Israeli forces while waiting to collect aid in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a separate incident, Bassal said five people were killed in a central area known as the Netzarim Corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving food rations.

Meanwhile, UNICEF warned in Geneva that a shortage of fuel to operate wells and desalination plants in Gaza meant the enclave "is facing what would amount to a man-made drought".

"Children will begin to die of thirst ... Just 40 percent of drinking water production facilities remain functional," UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters. "We are way below emergency standards in terms of drinking water."

In the United States, Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of pro-Palestinian campus protests, pledged on Saturday to keep campaigning after he was released from a federal detention center.

"Even if they would kill me, I would still speak for Palestine," Khalil said as he was greeted by cheering supporters at Newark airport, just outside New York.

Khalil, a legal permanent US resident who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody since March facing potential deportation.

Agencies via Xinhua