Global Pro-Palestinian Protests Mark Two Years Since Hamas Attack as Calls for Gaza Ceasefire Grow

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted worldwide on Tuesday as Israel’s war in Gaza entered its second year, coinciding with memorials for victims of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. From New York and London to Sydney, Istanbul, Paris, and Washington, protesters condemned Israel’s assault on Gaza and urged an end to the humanitarian crisis that has claimed over 67,000 lives, according to Gaza authorities.

In New York City, demonstrators carried banners reading “Gaza is bleeding” and “U.S. and Israel – your hands are red,” while Muslim protesters prayed outside the Trump Hotel. Thousands of people gathered in Central Park for a unity vigil, chanting “Bring them home” in support of hostages still held by Hamas. President Donald Trump met with Edan Alexander, the last known U.S. hostage freed from Gaza in May, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a vigil for survivors and families.

In London, hundreds rallied outside King’s College London, accusing Israel of war crimes, while a smaller group waved Israeli flags nearby. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the protests as “un-British” on the anniversary of Hamas’ atrocities, a stance many demonstrators called “outrageous.” Retiree Mark Etkind, the son of a Holocaust survivor, said he supported students “actively opposing genocide.”

Events across Israel and Europe honored victims of the Hamas attack, with mourners in Berlin placing stones and photos at the Brandenburg Gate. In Amsterdam, activists splashed red paint on the Royal Palace to protest a ban on pro-Palestinian rallies. Heightened security was reported at New York’s Israeli consulate, synagogues, and schools, amid a global surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Rights experts and a U.N. inquiry have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel rejects, calling its actions self-defense. The ongoing bloodshed and failed ceasefires have shifted international sentiment, prompting several Western nations to recognize Palestinian statehood, reigniting hopes for peace in the war-torn region.