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Thousands of people from all walks of life on Saturday joined ‘March for Gaza’ in Dhaka in solidarity with Palestine and promised to stand by the people of Gaza who have been fighting against the Israeli military’s offensive.

The marchers from different corners of Dhaka and nearby areas, carrying the national flags of Bangladesh and Palestine, banners and festoons mostly reading ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Save Gaza’, and symbolic corpses thronged to Suhrawardy Udyan in the city.

Different political parties, social organisations and Islamic Scholars joined the programme organised under the banner of the Palestine Solidarity Movement demanding the establishment of an independent Palestine and an end to the Israel military’s bombardment and mass killing in Gaza.

Although the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan was scheduled to be started at 3:00pm at the venue, the surrounding areas became jam-packed with protesters by 1:00pm. They rocked the city by chanting the slogan ‘Free Gaza, Free Palestine’, ‘Oust Israel from Gaza’, and ‘Save children in Gaza’.

At the Suhrawardy Udyan rally, a declaration outlining various demands to the United Nations and the international community, the leaders of the Muslim Ummah, the governments of the Muslim world and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Bangladesh government, was read out.

Although the declaration was supposed to be read out by the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram Khatib Mufti Abdul Malek, it was instead read out by Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman.

The declaration called on the United Nations and the international community to take immediate and effective actions against the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israeli forces in Gaza and urged to hold trials of the perpetrators at the International Criminal Court.

The declaration demanded concrete and coordinated steps to halt the genocide in Gaza rather than merely arranging a ceasefire.

It also emphasised the need to restore Palestinian land to its pre-1967 boundaries and called for international recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Furthermore, the declaration sought to ensure the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, security and sovereignty.

The declaration urged the governments of the Muslim world and the OIC to take strong and immediate action against Israel, including severing all economic, military, and diplomatic ties.

It called for a trade blockade and sanctions against Israel, as well as comprehensive support for the people of Gaza, including medical aid, food, housing, and defence assistance.

The declaration also stressed the need for an active diplomatic campaign to hold Israel accountable internationally.

It also urged the OIC and Muslim states to take a firm stance against state-led aggression under the Hindutva regime in India, particularly in response to the amendment of the Waqf law.

The declaration urged the government of Bangladesh to reinstatement of the ‘Except Israel’ clause in Bangladeshi passports for a clearer reaffirmation of the country’s position of not recognising Israel.

It demanded the cancellation of all agreements with Israeli institutions, the provision of national-level relief and medical aid to Gaza and a government-led boycott of products from Zionist companies.

It also called for an official protest against the persecution of Muslims and minorities in India under the Hindutva regime.

The declaration further recommended incorporating the history of Al-Aqsa, Palestine and Muslim struggles in the national curriculum to foster a Muslim identity among future generations.

Addressing the mass rally in solidarity with Palestine, As-Sunnah Foundation chairman Sheikh Ahmadullah said that people across all political, ideological, and religious backgrounds in Bangladesh remained with the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine.

Although Bangladesh is geographically distant from Palestine, the massive turnout at the gathering was a powerful reflection of the deep emotional connection and solidarity the Bangladeshis feel with Palestine, Gaza, and Al-Quds, Islamic speaker Mizanur Rahman Azhari told the rally.

Among the political leaders, Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salah Uddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Mia Golam Parwar, National Citizen Party chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur and Hefazat-e-Islam leader Maulana Mamunul Haque attended the rally. 

The rally concluded with prayers led by the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram Khatib Abdul Malek.

People from all walks of life in groups started gathering at the venue since the morning and the crowd turned into a huge gathering of thousands of people by 1:00pm, about two hours before beginning the programme.

Commuters had to endure suffering on their vehicles as vehicular movement halted for over four hours since 1:00pm at Shahbag, Segunbagicha, Banglamotor, and nearby areas due to the huge gathering.

Dhaka metropolitan police’s additional commissioner for traffic Md Sarwar told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that they diverted vehicles at different points including Science Laboratory and Segunbagicha to reduce people’s sufferings.

‘We have noticed people’s presence on roads stretching half to one kilometre areas surrounding the main venue during the programme,’ said Sarwar, adding that they instructed the organisers not to come with vehicles and avoid parking them on nearby roads.

People in groups were seen attending the march weaving the flag of Palestine, wearing bands with the slogan ‘Free Palestine’ on their heads and black-and-white patterned scarf.

Although leaders and activists of different political parties joined the programme with marches, most of them were seen not to use party banners.

One of the participants, Harunur Rashid, a painter by profession, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that he along with a group of people came from Tongi by five buses to express their solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Some of the participants, particularly children, were seen sitting near the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture on Dhaka University campus wearing t-shirts and bands with red colour and carrying symbolic corpses expressing the gruesome situation of Palestine children due to Israel’s bombardment and mass killings.

Vehicular movements in the areas gradually started after 5:00pm, according to the DMP traffic department.

Students of Dhaka University joined the march carrying a 70-foot Palestinian flag in solidarity with the programme and the people of Palestine, reported DU Correspondent.  

The procession started at noon from in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence on the campus after a brief rally, where DU vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan was present and expressed his solidarity with the students.

Severe traffic congestion was reported from the Nilkhet and adjacent areas. A long tailback stretched from the DU’s Mukti O Ganatantra Toron to Nilkhet intersection and New Market area occurred during the rally.

The programme coincided with the cluster-based admission test for first-year undergraduate programmes in agricultural sciences at nine public universities, for which DU was one of the examination centres.

Speaking to ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·, several candidates and guardians said that the traffic gridlock and a lack of volunteers made it difficult to locate centres and reach them in time. Many reported facing hardship, delays, and failure while trying to find or access distant examination venues due to lack of vehicles and huge crowds.

Besides, protest and solidarity demonstrations were also held in different cities across the country, including Pabna and Barishal for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday demanding an immediate end to the Israeli massacre in Palestine.