On Saturday, 20,000 individuals took to the streets of Madrid, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel, in protest against the war in Gaza, which they labeled as “genocide.”
Behind a banner reading “Stop the Genocide in Palestine,” demonstrators brandished Palestinian flags and some South African flags, following the International Court of Justice’s decision urging Israel to “take all possible measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza.
According to figures released by the authorities of the Spanish capital, the number of protesters reached 20,000.
Many participants carried banners with messages such as “Boycott Israel” and “Israel is committing genocide.”
Spain, within the European Union, stands as one of the most vocal critics of Israel, especially in light of the war that erupted following a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the death of 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
The Israeli operations in Gaza have since resulted in 26,257 fatalities, the majority being women and children, according to the latest figures announced by the Health Ministry in the enclave on Saturday.
In November, Israel recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations following statements made by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which Israel deemed “outrageous.”
Sanchez had called for “strict respect for international humanitarian law, which is clearly not being respected today” in Gaza.
