Supporters of Palestinians and Israel protest and pray as war intensifies

[October 13, 2023]  (Reuters) -Protests were taking place in the Middle East and beyond on Friday in support of Palestinians as Israel intensified its strikes on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas assaults on Israel.

Jewish communities in France and elsewhere were also planning rallies in solidarity with Israel following the Hamas attacks, the deadliest killing spree against civilians in the state's history.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem was a focus of attention and a likely flashpoint.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, urged Palestinians to rise up on Friday in protest against Israel's bombardment of the enclave, calling on them to march on the mosque and to confront Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank.

The militant group said Palestinians should stay at the mosque through Friday, when Muslims hold large weekly prayers.

The compound is Islam's third holiest side after Mecca and Medina and the most sacred to Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

There has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments and many citizens over the Hamas attacks, but Israel's response has also prompted anger, particularly in much of the Arab and Muslim world.

In Baghdad, tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied in central Tahrir Square, waving Palestinian flags and burning the Israeli flag while chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans.

"We are ready to join the fight and rid the Palestinians of the Israeli atrocities," said Muntadhar Kareem, 25, a teacher.

He was dressed in a white shroud, like most of the protesters, to symbolize their readiness to fight to the death.

In the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, Muslim activists chanted slogans as they protested against Israel's actions after Friday prayers at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather for mass Friday prayer during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Saba Kareem

Rallies were also planned in Rome, Munich, Istanbul, Belgrade and other cities in support of the Palestinians and to protest against the bombing of Gaza.

The assault by Hamas - designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and other governments - on Israeli communities last weekend killed at least 1,300 people. Most were civilians, including women and children.

Israel has since been pounding Gaza with airstrikes and artillery fire in retaliation and more than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. A ground invasion of the besieged enclave appears to be imminent.

In Warsaw, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, was scheduled to lead a multi-confessional prayer for peace in the city centre.

Members of France's Jewish community were to gather at Paris' largest synagogue for Sabbath on Friday afternoon.

In Paris on Thursday night, French police fired teargas and water cannon to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinians, while President Emmanuel Macron urged the French people to refrain from bringing the Israel-Hamas conflict home.

His government had earlier banned pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were "likely to generate disturbances to public order".

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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