Hundreds of thousands of people rally in Jakarta through the city centre in support of Palestinians

People take part in a mass rally in support of Palestinians in Jakarta on Sunday, Nov 5, 2023. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. - AFP

JAKARTA (Bernama): Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in the capital of Indonesia on Sunday to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people and denounce Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians.

The gathering, organised by various groups in the Indonesian People’s Alliance for Palestine, began with a march through the city and assembled at the National Monument in the heart of Merdeka Square.

Most participants wore white attire, displayed #FreePalestine banners, and waved Palestinian flags while chanting slogans together, calling on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza.

The attendees included religious leaders, political figures and ministers such as Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.

Also present were House Speaker Puan Maharani, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and presidential candidate Anies Baswedan.

Retno reiterated the government’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s struggle and expressed appreciation for the community’s contributions to humanitarian aid missions to Gaza.

She also recited a poem titled "Palestin, Saudaraku”, featuring the poignant line, "every 10 minutes, one child passes away in Gaza, thousands of parents lose their children”.

Yaqut called on the crowd to pray for the martyrs who fell victim to Israeli aggression and to pray for the swift achievement of peace, justice, and independence for the Palestinian people. - Bernama