Mexico City: Thousands of Caracas residents took part in a march in support of the people of Palestine under the slogans “the Palestinian people are not Hamas,” with the event broadcast by Venezuela’s state-run VTV channel.
“This [the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza] has awakened worldwide solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people… We know that sooner or later Palestine will become free, its lands will be returned and the rule of law will prevail in the world… We demand an immediate end to violence in within the framework of this policy of extermination,” Diosdado Cabello, vice president of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said during a rally.
The Venezuelan government severed relations with Israel in 2009 after an operation in the Gaza Strip, which led to the death of more than 1,000 Palestinians. Three months later, Caracas recognized the independence of Palestine and established official relations with it. In 2019, Tel Aviv, in turn, supported opposition leader Juan Guaido after large-scale protests, recognizing him as the president of Venezuela.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting over 200 people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. The conflict escalation has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.
