Flames of fury: ‘Day of jihad’ sparks fears of wider regional conflict after huge numbers of Muslims protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza across the Middle East

Anti-Israel protests have been held in a ‘day of jihad’ internationally immediately after former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal demanded hundreds of Muslims take to the streets to show amid the continuing battle. 

Tens of hundreds of Muslims demonstrated Friday throughout the Center East in assist of the Palestinians and towards the intensifying Israeli bombardment of Gaza, underscoring the chance of a wider regional battle as Israel prepares for a doable floor invasion.

From the sometimes sedate streets of downtown Amman in Jordan, to Yemen’s war-scarred capital of Sanaa, crowds of Muslim worshippers poured into the streets after weekly Friday prayers, angered by devastating Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that started after the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented shock assault on Israel final Saturday.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Friday in Tahrir Sq. within the centre of Baghdad, and comparable protests have been held in Lebanon and different Arab nations following afternoon prayers.

Throughout a number of the protests – like in Iran, Bangladesh and Malaysia – indignant demonstrators burned Israeli and American flags. In Beirut, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters waved Hezbollah and Palestinian flags whereas holding footage of burning Israeli ones.

And in Berlin, residence to one of many largest Palestinian diasporas outdoors the Center East, pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with riot police, with one bloodied demonstrator being led away from a sq. within the German capital. 

Hundreds extra gathered within the Jordanian capital of Amman on Friday for an indication in assist of Palestinians, with many holding banners studying: ‘The victory march will proceed, solidarity with Palestine’ and ‘Stand with Palestine, Liberated Palestine’.

The widespread protests come after former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal demanded hundreds take to the streets immediately.

‘[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,’ Meshaal, who at present heads Hamas’s diaspora workplace, stated yesterday. 

The previous terror chief, who relies in Qatar, stated the governments and peoples of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt have a much bigger responsibility to assist the Palestinians in feedback recorded earlier this week. Jordan and Lebanon are residence to the most important variety of Palestinian refugees.

In Baghdad, tens of hundreds gathered in Tahrir Sq. within the centre of Iraq’s capital immediately for protests referred to as by the influential Shiite cleric and political chief Muqtada al-Sadr. 

Big Palestinian flags had been seen laid on the bottom alongside the flag of Iraq in an indication of solidarity because the Israeli flag was set alight. Demonstrators on the rally chanted: ‘No to the occupation! No to America!’

‘Might this demonstration… terrify the good evil, America, which helps Zionist terrorism towards our family members in Palestine,’ al-Sadr stated in an internet assertion. 

‘This rally is aimed toward condemning what is going on in occupied Palestine, the bloodletting and the violation of rights,’ stated Abu Kayan, an organiser of the protest.

In Tokyo, Muslims had been embroiled in a standoff with police as they protested on the streets outdoors of the Israeli embassy within the metropolis. Lower than 24 hours earlier, pro-Israel supporters had been peacefully singing in Hebrew outdoors of the identical constructing.

Throughout Iran, a supporter of Hamas and Israel’s regional archenemy, demonstrators protested. In Tehran, the nation’s capital, they burned Israeli and Ameircan flags, chanting: ‘Demise to Israel,’ ‘Demise to America,’ ‘Israel might be doomed,’ and ‘Palestine would be the conqueror.’ 

‘The Palestinian individuals are fed up, now your thought is to destroy Gaza, the homes of the individuals,’ Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi stated in a speech within the nation’s southern Fars province. ‘The individuals of the world and Palestine will trigger hassle for you.’ 

Tehran’s state tv described the Iranian rallies as ‘screams of a standard ache… The ache of the Zionist regime’s (Israel) trampling on humanity’. 

In the meantime, Jordanian riot police on Friday forcibly dispersed a whole bunch of pro-Palestinian protesters making an attempt to succeed in a border zone with the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution as hundreds held anti-Israel demonstrations throughout the nation, witnesses stated.

Greater than 10,000 individuals gathered in central Amman, close to the Grand Husseini Mosque, after a name for protests from the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, and a number of other leftist and youth teams.

Jordan is apprehensive {that a} regional widening of violence arising from the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza may have repercussions for itself on condition that a big share of its inhabitants are Palestinians.

The nation misplaced the West Financial institution together with East Jerusalem to Israel within the 1967 Center East conflict and the Palestinian territory was seeing an increase in violence between Palestinians and the Israeli navy and settlers even earlier than the Gaza battle erupted.

Witnesses stated police fired tear fuel to halt about 500 demonstrators who had reached a safety checkpoint outdoors the capital Amman on a freeway resulting in a essential border crossing.

The inside ministry had issued a ban towards holding anti-Israel marches within the delicate border space, the place it stated the Jordan river valley was closed to protesters however that licensed protests elsewhere can be allowed.

The outpouring of Arab anger towards Israel over its siege and bombardment of Gaza retaliating for a devastating cross-border Hamas assault additionally fuelled a big rally on Friday in downtown Amman and in lots of the kingdom’s essential cities.

It comes after Meshaal stated yesterday: ‘Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan… It is a second of fact and the borders are near you, you all know your duty.

‘To all students who train jihad… to all who train and study, this can be a second for the appliance (of theories).’

Immediately, a number of thousand protesters close to downtown Amman chanted slogans in assist of Hamas and demanded the federal government shut the Israeli embassy and scrap the 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

Within the cities of Irbid and Zarqa, hundreds took to the streets carrying Hamas flags, vowing revenge towards Israel and calling on the terrorists to escalate strikes.

The peace treaty stays extensively unpopular amongst Jordanians who see normalisation with Israel as a sellout of the rights of their Palestinian brethren looking for to ascertain a state in Israeli-occupied territories.

The Israeli embassy, the place protesters collect day by day, has lengthy been a flashpoint of anti-Israel protests at instances of turmoil within the Palestinian territories.

Within the Gulf state of Bahrain, a whole bunch of worshippers chanted ‘Demise to Israel!’ and ‘Demise to America!’ forward of Friday prayers at Diraz mosque.

Tons of of individuals then joined a protest march, a few of them waving Palestinian flags and others stamping on Israeli and US emblems that had been laid on the bottom.

And within the Saudi capital Riyadh, the place protests are prohibited, an AFP journalist witnessed police cuffing a worshipper who interrupted Friday prayers by shouting on the imam: ‘Talk about Palestine! Gaza is underneath bombs!’

In the meantime in Lebanon, hundreds of supporters of Iran-backed Hezbollah rallied within the southern suburbs of Beirut in assist of the Palestinians.

The protesters waved Lebanese, Palestinian and Hezbollah flags, chanting slogans in assist of Gaza and calling for ‘demise to Israel.’ 

On the occasion, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem stated Hezbollah can be ‘totally ready’ to hitch its ally Hamas within the conflict towards Israel when the time is correct.

The Iranian-backed terrorist group in neighbouring Lebanon has launched sporadic assaults for the reason that Hamas assault, however largely stayed on the sidelines of the conflict. 

Qassem stated main powers, Arab nations and the UN had ‘straight and not directly’ informed Hezbollah ‘to not intrude’ in ongoing preventing between Israel and Hamas.

Regardless of the warnings, the chief of the highly effective Iran-backed Lebanese group – which has already clashed with Israeli forces in latest days – stated it was ‘prepared’ and would ‘contribute’ to confrontations towards its southern neighbour. 

Qassem’s feedback got here as Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant this afternoon referred to as Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran an ‘axis of evil’. ‘Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas is one axis, an axis of evil. Every little thing is set usually from Iran,’ he stated.

‘Your battleships don’t curiosity us, nor do your statements frighten us,’ Naim Kassim stated at a rally in a southern suburb of Beirut. ‘When the time is correct to take motion, we’ll achieve this.’ 

In Yemen’s Sanaa, held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels nonetheless at conflict with a Saudi-led coalition, dwell tv footage confirmed demonstrators crowding streets and waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags. The rebels’ slogan lengthy has been: ‘God is the best; demise to America; demise to Israel; curse of the Jews; victory to Islam.’

After prayers in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, some worshippers stepped on American and Israeli flags, in an indication of disrespect. Protests there broke up peacefully, although different bigger ones had been anticipated later within the day.

‘Cease bombing Palestine!’ shouted one of many demonstrators, Ahmed Raza. ‘Cease killing harmless Palestinians!’

Political and spiritual events staged dozens of small demonstrations throughout the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and the capital Islamabad, the place US and Israeli flags had been burned. 

‘There’s a lot tyranny meted out to Palestinians, no person can tolerate it. It’s a waste of life if we do not stand by the righteous,’ stated Tahira Khan, a 50-year-old designer who joined one in all a number of protests in Karachi attended by round 2,000 individuals.

Protester Shahid Husain, 47, stated the leaders of Muslim nations had been failing to face up for Palestinians. 

‘We got here to the streets to make our rulers realise that they do not should be fearful of the US and that the general public needs them to be on the facet of Palestine – not Israel and America,’ he stated from Peshawar, the place police stated round 20 protests had been held attended by greater than 5,000 individuals.

Just a few hundred individuals additionally gathered within the Afghan cities of Kabul and Jalalabad for pro-Palestinian rallies organised by Taliban authorities.

‘Palestine you aren’t alone, we’re with you,’ one speaker informed the group. ‘We’re poor, however we’ll do no matter we will. We won’t do a lot immediately however use our toes and stand in your assist.’

On the weekend, Hamas gunmen killed greater than 1,300 individuals in Israel within the deadliest assault for the reason that nation’s creation in 1948.

They seized round 150 hostages – together with dozens of Israelis, twin and international nationals – whom Hamas is threatening to kill.

Israel has retaliated by raining air and artillery strikes in Gaza for six days, claiming greater than 1,500 lives and displacing over 400,000 individuals within the crowded enclave.

In the meantime on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israeli police had been allowing solely older males, ladies and youngsters to the sprawling hilltop compound for prayers, making an attempt to forestall the potential for violence as tens of hundreds attend on a typical Friday. 

Police allowed only a Palestinian teenage woman and her mom into the compound out of 20 worshippers who tried to get in, a few of them even over the age of fifty. 

Younger Palestinian males who had been refused entry gathered on the steps close to Lion’s Gate, their eyes downcast, till police shouted at them and shepherded them out of the Previous Metropolis altogether. 

‘We won’t dwell, we won’t breathe, they’re killing all the pieces that’s good inside us,’ stated Ahmad Barbour, a 57-year-old cleaner in a clear white thobe, seething after police blocked him from coming into for prayers.  

‘Every little thing that’s forbidden to us is allowed to them,’ he added, referring to Israelis.

The mosque sits in a hilltop compound sacred to each Jews and Muslims, and conflicting claims over it have spilled into violence earlier than. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest web site in Islam and stands in a spot identified to Jews because the Temple Mount, which is the holiest web site in Judaism.

Police later fired tear fuel within the Previous Metropolis and east Jerusalem. The Palestinian Pink Crescent stated its medics handled six wounded individuals, with a minimum of one crushed up by officers, the group stated. 

Meshaal’s name for a Friday thirteenth rebellion was reiterated by Hamas itself, in line with the Israeli-run, Washington DC-based Center East Media Analysis Institute (MEMRI).

MEMRI stated that Hamas urged its supporters in Gaza, the West Financial institution and Israel to stand up in what he referred to as ‘the Al-Aqsa Flood’ – echoing what the the secretive Palestinian mastermind Mohammed Deif calls the assault he launched on Saturday towards Israel.

The phrase Israel’s most wished man utilized in an audio tape broadcast as Hamas fired hundreds of rockets out of the Gaza Strip over the weekend signalled the assault was their payback for Israeli raids at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque.

‘We declare subsequent Friday, ”The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” as a day of normal mobilization in our Arab and Islamic world and among the many free individuals of the world,’ Meshaal’s assertion stated.

‘It’s a day to rally assist, provide support, and take part actively. It’s a day to reveal the crimes of the occupation, isolate it, and foil all its aggressive schemes. It’s a day to show our love for Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa.

‘It’s a day for sacrifice, heroism, and dedication, and to earn the honour of defending the primary Qibla of Muslims, the third holiest mosque, and the ascension of the trusted Messenger.’

Israel’s Defence Forces have stated they wish to utterly strip Hamas of its energy to control in Palestine after what has been described because the nation’s ‘worst day in historical past’ with the variety of Israeli’s killed within the battle set to rise additional. 

In response to the barbaric assaults, which has seen 1,300 Israelis massacred together with pregnant ladies and youngsters, Israel has launched a relentless barrage of airstrikes which have obliterated total neighbourhoods in Gaza and killed 1,530 Palestinians. 

The Israeli airstrikes have to this point flattened a lot of the city of Beit Hanoun within the Palestinian enclave’s north-east nook, which Hamas terrorists had been utilizing as a staging floor for his or her assaults. 

And in an indication that Israel has no notion of stopping its airstrikes, the IDF immediately issued an evacuation order straight on Friday morning, telling the 1.1 million individuals dwelling north of an space referred to as Wadi Gaza to maneuver south. This is able to imply your entire inhabitants of Gaza Metropolis and its environment fleeing their houses.

The UN says it’s unimaginable to maneuver that many individuals with out devastating humanitarian penalties, and has urged Israel to rescind the order.

The Gaza Strip, residence to 2.3million civilians, has to this point been bombarded by roughly 6,000 bombs containing a complete of 4,000 tonnes of explosives since Saturday when it started putting Hamas targets, the Israeli military stated yesterday. 

However Palestinians are getting ready for a floor offensive of unprecedented scale on the tiny, crowded enclave, exceeding earlier bouts of harmful warfare. 

Palestine’s well being minister additionally warned that Gaza is going through a humanitarian and well being disaster and urged all nations and human rights teams to assist with the speedy entry of medical and emergency support to the enclave.

In the meantime, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit branded the Israeli order a ‘pressured switch’ that he stated constitutes a ‘crime’, whereas the secretary normal of the pan-Arab physique, in a letter despatched to UN chief Antonio Guterres, accused Israel of finishing up ‘an atrocious act of revenge… punishing helpless civilians in Gaza’.

It comes as Hamas claimed a minimum of 13 Israeli and international hostages held in northern Gaza have been killed in Israeli air strikes up to now 24 hours, and earlier than Hamas operatives fired a whole bunch of rockets in the direction of Israel round noon on Friday.

’13 prisoners… together with foreigners’ had been killed in 5 places focused by Israeli fighter jets, Hamas’s armed wing stated Friday.

Israel’s navy despatched one evacuation order straight on Friday morning, telling the 1.1 million individuals dwelling north of an space referred to as Wadi Gaza to maneuver south. This is able to imply your entire inhabitants of Gaza Metropolis and its environment fleeing their houses.

In keeping with translations of the IDF flyers on-line, the military informed residents that ‘terrorist organisations have began the conflict towards the State of Israel.’

Because of this, it stated ‘Gaza Metropolis has turn out to be a battlefield’ and informed residents they needed to evacuate ‘Punik instantly and go to the south of the Gaza Valley.’

It additionally issued a stark warning to Palestinians to not try to cross into Israel.

‘On your safety and security: You shouldn’t return to Piona till additional discover by the Israel Protection Military,’ the flyers stated. ‘Usually and well-known shelters in Gaza Metropolis should be evacuated. It’s forbidden to strategy the safety wall, and everybody who’s approaching exposes himself to demise.’

A small map was additionally printed on the underside of the flyer, with arrows pointing from the north of Gaza to the south, exhibiting the 1.1 million Palestinians which strategy to flee.

The Israeli navy had stated it might function with ‘vital power’ in Gaza within the coming days amid fears of an enormous floor offensive. Spokesman Jonathan Conricus stated Israeli forces ‘will make intensive efforts to keep away from harming civilians’.

He added: ‘Out of an understanding that there are civilians right here who will not be our enemy and we don’t wish to goal them, we’re asking them to evacuate.’

However the UN has stated it’s unimaginable to maneuver that many individuals with out devastating humanitarian penalties, and has urged Israel to rescind the order.

Struggling in Gaza has been rising dramatically with Palestinians determined for meals, gasoline and medication and the territory’s solely energy plant shut down for lack of gasoline. The morgue at Gaza’s greatest hospital overflowed as our bodies got here in sooner than family members may declare them.

In the meantime, a Hamas official referred to as the evacuation order ‘faux propaganda’, urged Palestinians to remain of their houses and to not ‘fall for it’. 

The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs referred to as on residents of the north of the territory to ‘stay steadfast in your houses and to face agency within the face of this disgusting psychological conflict waged by the occupation’.

The flurry of directives was taken as signalling an already anticipated Israeli floor offensive, although the Israeli navy has not but confirmed such a choice.

On Thursday it stated that whereas it was getting ready, no official determination has been made.

Any floor offensive can be the strongest response but to Hamas’ shock assault, and would seemingly deliver even increased casualties on either side in brutal guerrilla warfare as Israeli troopers go house-to-house and search out Hamas terrorists.

‘This evacuation is on your personal security,’ the Israeli navy stated, in a warning it stated was despatched to all Gaza Metropolis civilians.’

Struggling in Gaza has risen dramatically with Palestinians determined for meals, gasoline and medication, whereas the territory’s solely energy plant shut down for lack of gasoline.

The mortuary at Gaza’s greatest hospital Al Shifa overflowed as our bodies got here in sooner than family members may declare them.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin is about to go to on Friday, a day after American secretary of state Antony Blinken was in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The conflict has claimed a minimum of 2,800 lives on either side since Hamas launched an incursion on October 7.

Inas Hamdan, an officer on the UN Palestinian refugee company in Gaza Metropolis, stated: ‘That is chaos, no-one understands what to do.’

She stated all of the UN employees in Gaza Metropolis and northern Gaza had been informed to evacuate south to Rafah.

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Pink Crescent in Gaza Metropolis, claimed there was no approach multiple million individuals may very well be safely moved inside the timeframe specified, saying: ‘Overlook about meals, neglect about electrical energy, neglect about gasoline. The one concern now could be simply if … you are going to dwell.’

She added: ‘What is going to occur to our sufferers? We’ve wounded, we’ve got aged, we’ve got youngsters who’re in hospitals.’

The flurry of directives was taken as signalling an anticipated Israeli floor offensive, although the Israeli navy has not but confirmed such a choice. On Thursday it stated that whereas it was getting ready, no determination has been made.

It comes as Human Rights Watch accused Israel of utilizing white phosphorus munitions in its navy operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying using such weapons places civilians vulnerable to critical and long-term harm.

At the least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed within the indiscriminate bombing campaigns, and Israel has additionally traded barbs with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

Human Rights Watch stated it verified movies taken in Lebanon on Oct. 10 and Gaza on Oct. 11 exhibiting ‘a number of airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza Metropolis port and two rural places alongside the Israel-Lebanon border’. 

White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings.

As a result of it has authorized makes use of, white phosphorus is just not banned as a chemical weapon underneath worldwide conventions – however it might probably trigger critical burns and begin fires.

White phosphorous is taken into account an incendiary weapon underneath Protocol III of the Conference on the Prohibition of Use of Sure Standard Weapons, which prohibits utilizing incendiary weapons towards navy targets positioned amongst civilians, though Israel has not signed it and isn’t sure by it.

‘White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated city areas, the place it might probably burn down homes and trigger egregious hurt to civilians,’ Human Rights Watch stated on Thursday.

Requested for touch upon the allegations, Israel’s navy stated it was ‘at present not conscious of using weapons containing white phosphorous in Gaza.’ 

It didn’t present touch upon the rights watchdog’s allegations of their use in Lebanon.

Palestinian TV channels have broadcast video in latest days exhibiting skinny plumes of white smoke lining the sky over Gaza that they are saying was attributable to such munitions.

Israel’s navy in 2013 stated it was phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions used throughout its 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza, which drew conflict crimes allegations from varied rights teams.

The navy on the time didn’t say whether or not it might additionally overview use of weaponised white phosphorus, which is designed to incinerate enemy positions.