Hundreds of Thousands Protest Across Europe Supporting Palestinians Amid Gaza Conflict

Massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place across multiple European cities, including Istanbul, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, and Berlin, showing widespread support for Palestinians amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. The largest was in Istanbul, where hundreds of thousands marched from Hagia Sophia to the Golden Horn, accompanied by boats flying Turkish and Palestinian flags, highlighting calls for Muslim solidarity. In Amsterdam, about 250,000 protesters urged the Dutch government to take tougher action against Israel ahead of national elections. Other cities such as Rome saw sustained protests over several days, with participants chanting slogans like "Stop the genocide" and displaying Palestinian flags, despite criticism from some political leaders. Berlin and Stuttgart also hosted mass demonstrations against German complicity in the Gaza conflict, with some protests resulting in arrests. These demonstrations coincided with the second anniversary of Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the interception of an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, underscoring growing European public mobilization in response to the humanitarian crisis.