Egypt marks International Day of Solidarity with Palestinians with protests and speeches

Government agencies and political parties in Cairo condemn Israel's aggression in the Gaza Strip

A mural in Cairo in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas. Reuters

Several Egyptian government agencies and political parties on Wednesday condemned Israel’s aggression against Palestinians in statements to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

With some irony, the day is marked each year on November 29, the anniversary of the 1947 UN General Assembly’s adoption of Resolution 181, which formalised the Zionist presence in Palestine into a nation state and mandated the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and a Special International Regime for the city of Jerusalem.

“The commemoration of the day this year coincides with a painful reality in which the Palestinian people are witnessing an unprecedented brutal aggression, in which humanity has been slaughtered every day for more than 54 days,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

After the start of Israel’s barrage on the Gaza strip in response to Hamas’s October 7 surprise attack on Israeli territories, millions took to the streets in several Arab capitals in protest, a clear sign that although many Arab governments have signed peace agreements with Israel, millions of people were opposed.

Gaza's ruling Hamas had called for protests across the Arab world in a Telegram broadcast message on Tuesday. Protests were held outside the UN's Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia headquarters in Beirut on Wednesday to mark the occasion.

Yet there were no protests on Wednesday in Cairo because many ordinary Egyptians were not aware of the day’s significance, they told The National, perhaps a sign that the commemoration is of little consequence when it comes to the plight of Palestinian people.

A stand-in was held at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s parliament marked the day in a post on its website, with a tally of the death and destruction that Israel’s strikes on Gaza have caused since October 7.

The death toll in the coastal enclave as a result of Israel’s strikes has passed 15,000, the Palestinian Government Media Office said on Monday, the last day of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas that was then extended by two days to end on Wednesday.

Forty per cent of those killed are children, while many more are feared dead beneath the rubble of Israel’s bombing.

Additionally, 43,000 homes have been completely destroyed by Israeli strikes, as well as 225,000 homes that were partially demolished, according to the Egyptian parliament’s figures. Recent analysis of satellite imagery of the destruction in northern Gaza – the most densely populated part of the enclave – suggests up to 50 per cent of housing has been destroyed.

Parliament’s condemnation included Israel’s breaches of various UN resolutions that prohibit the targeting of civilians and hospitals in military operations.

Egyptian political leaders including Effat Sadat, the head of the Sadat party, commemorated the day by praising Egypt's efforts to provide aid to Gaza and reach a ceasefire.

“Our solidarity with the Palestinian people today comes as extensive efforts are being made to extend the ongoing truce between both sides,” Ms Sadat said.

The humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in the coastal enclave was decried by international organisations and several non-Arab governments.

On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that 1.3 million Gazans in the enclave were currently living in shelters.

The WHO said on Tuesday that the risk of disease spreading in Gaza, where access to clean water is dangerously diminished as a result of Israel’s barrage, is very high.

Mr Ghebreyesus in his post confirmed that until now, there are 111,000 Gazans suffering from acute respiratory infections and 12,000 cases of scabies, in addition to numerous other conditions.

Overcrowding and poor waste management in the enclave also contribute significantly to the rising risk of disease spreading, Mr Ghebreyesus said.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres marked the day of solidarity in a statement on Tuesday evening in which he called for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave.

“The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people is a moment to reaffirm their right to live in peace and dignity,” Mr Guterres said.