Advertisement
Israel-Gaza war
WorldMiddle East

Iraqis protest at border and near US embassy calling for an end to Gaza blockade, chanting ‘no to Israel’

  • Bus-loads of supporters of PMF Shiite militia headed for crossing point closest to Israeli-occupied West Bank
  • Hundreds also gathered in Baghdad near the Green Zone, home to the US embassy and other missions

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
A demonstrator burns a copy of an American flag, as supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups gather to protest against the US for supporting Israel, and in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Photo: Reuters
Reuters

Hundreds of supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups gathered on Friday at Iraq’s main border crossing with Jordan to express solidarity with Gaza and call for an end to the blockade imposed by Israel.

Advertisement

Some 800 supporters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mainly Shiite militia, departed for Baghdad late on Thursday in buses for the Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing in Western Anbar province. It is the closest access point from Iraq to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Amid heavy security, protesters set up tents and staged a sit-in, demanding that Israel allow aid into Gaza.

“No to Israel and normalisation,” they chanted while waving Palestinian flags.

Hundreds of PMF supporters also gathered in Baghdad near the bridge that leads to the fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy and other missions in Baghdad.

Supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups hold banners and flags near the entrance of the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Reuters
Supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups hold banners and flags near the entrance of the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Reuters

Protesters in black outfits carried portraits of top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while waving the Palestinian and Iraq flags.

Advertisement