A local pro-Palestinian activist group held a rally in Hamilton’s core amid Israel’s planned ground offensive into Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Demonstrators met outside of Hamilton’s city hall around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
From there, they took to the streets and marched through the downtown area.
The rally briefly closed the corner of James Street at Main Street before moving west towards Bay Street and eventually dispersing.
READ MORE: Hamilton man applies to bring his family from Gaza to Canada
One of the event organizers, Hamilton4Palestine, took to social media to announce the event on Tuesday and said its focus was to “stand in solidarity with Palestine.”
“Rafah has been under heavy attack by the IOF for the last few days. Rafah currently has 1.4 million residents, seeking shelter from the relentless carpet bombing,” the group wrote on social media.
‼️EMERGENCY ACTION‼️
Join us TODAY at Hamilton City Hall at 6PM to stand in solidarity with Palestine.
Rafah has been under heavy attack by the IOF for the last few days. Rafah currently has 1.4 million residents, seeking shelter from the relentless carpet bombing. pic.twitter.com/DaGAeg4E2P
— Hamilton4Palestine (@hamilton4pali) February 14, 2024
The march comes as the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand all issued a joint statement that says they are “gravely concerned” about the military action that is planned to take place in Rafah.
“A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic. About 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in the area, including many of our citizens and their families,” the statement reads.
“With the humanitarian situation in Gaza already dire, the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating. We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path. There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go.”
READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian protest in Toronto sparks political outrage
