Protesters in Beirut Denounce Western Support for Israeli Bombardment of Gaza

Hassan Badr, a 60-year-old resident of the Palestinian refugee camp Burj el-Barajneh in Beirut, asked, "How are foreign governments with Israel? They are killing kids in front of the world. They should be supporting the Palestinians, not Israel."

The Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have been ongoing since October 7, have resulted in the deaths of more than 8,500 Palestinians and have been condemned by United Nations experts as involving crimes against humanity.

Gruesome images of death and destruction, including photographs of deceased children, have circulated through Arab world news outlets and social media. Save the Children, a non-governmental organization, estimated that 3,324 individuals have lost their lives since the start of the bombings.

The crowd that assembled on Tuesday included Palestinian and Lebanese demonstrators who expressed frustration with the international community's support for Israel.

Youssef, a member of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, stated, "The French people are with the people of Palestine and protesting with us, but the French president is 100 percent with Israel."

Many of the protesters displayed flags representing Lebanese or Palestinian parties and factions, even if they did not align with a specific ideology.

Samar al-Ashi, a 36-year-old participant, expressed the protesters' united purpose, stating, "We are here to raise our voices to the rest of the world. All the people are with us."

Lebanon has witnessed numerous protests in major cities and outside the United States and German embassies, with a common demand for Israel to declare a ceasefire. However, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised address on Monday, rejected international pressure to halt hostilities, despite the escalating civilian death toll in Gaza, remarking, "This is a time for war."

Fighting has continued along the southern Lebanon border region, with Israel exchanging fire with the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and Palestinian groups in the area. Israeli air raids targeted a house in the southern village of Alma Shaab on Monday, as reported by Lebanese daily L'Orient Today. 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to give a televised speech on Friday, his first address since the hostilities began.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged an end to "Israeli provocations" that could lead to a regional war, stating, "The Lebanese people do not want war." He added that he had coordinated with international organizations to establish an emergency plan in case of war, while emphasizing that the Lebanese crisis, which began in 2019, has left most residents unable to provide refuge or assistance.

Protesters outside the French embassy called for greater international solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Abu Mohammad, a Beirut resident, expressed his support for the Palestinian people and condemnation of Israel's actions, saying, "I'm not Palestinian, but I live among them and I know how they feel and what they think. Their future is there (in Gaza). I hope they can go back to their homes. Many of them still have the keys in their hands."