Many waved Palestinian flags or carried signs that read \u201cPeace for Palestine\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t ignore Palestinian suffering\u201d
\nMADRID
\nWaving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, thousands marched through the streets of Madrid on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in the deadly war between Israel and Hamas.
\nThe crowd snaked under bright sunshine through closed-off streets in the Spanish capital from Atocha train station to the central Plaza del Sol square behind a large banner that read \u201cFreedom for Palestine.\u201d
\nMany waved Palestinian flags or carried signs that read \u201cPeace for Palestine\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t ignore Palestinian suffering.\u201d
\nSix ministers from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez\u2019s cabinet took part \u2014 all five from hard-left party Sumar, his junior coalition partners, as well as Transport Minister Oscar Puente of the premier\u2019s Socialist party.
\n\u201cWe need an immediate ceasefire, an end to the killing and attacks against innocents, we must achieve the release of all hostages,\u201d Puente told reporters at the start of the march.
\nAround 3,000 people took part in the demonstration, according to the central government\u2019s delegation to Madrid, a much smaller turnout than the last protest in the Spanish capital on January 27, when some 20,000 participated.
\nSome chanted: \u201cFrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free\u201d \u2014 a slogan that critics interpret as a call for the elimination of Israel. Chants of \u201cIt\u2019s not a war, it\u2019s genocide\u201d were also heard.
\nThe Gaza war began with Hamas\u2019 October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
\nMilitants also took about 250 people hostage, around 130 of whom are still in Gaza, including 30 who are presumed dead, according to Israeli figures.
\nIsrael\u2019s subsequent assault on Gaza has since killed at least 28,775 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry.
\nSpain, Ireland and Belgium have been among the most critical in Europe of the way Israel has conducted its Gaza campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many waved Palestinian flags or carried signs that read \u201cPeace for Palestine\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t ignore Palestinian suffering\u201d MADRID Waving pro-Palestinian flags and banners, thousands marched through the streets of Madrid on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in the deadly war between Israel and Hamas. The crowd snaked under bright sunshine through closed-off streets in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387831","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n