Tens of thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney

Tens of thousands of people joined a pro-Palestinian rally in the business district of Australia's most populous city, Sydney, on Sunday, organisers said, after a court this week blocked a move to hold the protest at the Sydney Opera House.

Around 27 protests took place across Australia on Sunday, including in Melbourne and Sydney, said the organiser, the Palestine Action Group, which estimated a crowd of 30,000 at the Sydney rally. Police did not have a crowd estimate for the protest.

The rallies took place against the backdrop of Israeli troops pulling back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement to end the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Amal Naser, an organiser of the Sydney rally, said "even if the ceasefire holds, Israel is still conducting a military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank".

"The occupation as well as systemic discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel constitute an Apartheid system," she said in a statement.

Australian Broadcasting Corp footage showed protesters, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves, marching on closed city streets. Police said no arrests were made.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for more than 200 Jewish organisations, condemned the protest organisers. "They want the deal to fail, which would mean the war would continue," co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said in a statement.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been common in Australia, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, since war in Gaza erupted after Hamas miltants killed 1,200 Israelis in an attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas attack.