Hyderabad: Hundreds of people gathered at Dharna Chowk here Sunday to protest against the ongoing Israeli genocidal assault on Gaza and the killing of innocent civilians. The demonstrators demanded that the Government of India immediately sever all diplomatic and trade ties with Israel.
The Hyderabad protest was part of a nationwide movement held simultaneously in major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, and Vijayawada. The gathering drew activists, intellectuals, doctors, students, and youth in large numbers, all voicing their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Chanting slogans against Israel and singing revolutionary songs and poetry, the protesters condemned what they described as Israel’s “genocidal campaign” in Gaza. Several participants also distributed pamphlets detailing the historical background of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Anand, a representative of Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine, emphasized that the Palestinian cause transcends religious identity.
“The issue of Palestine is not a religious one but a humanitarian struggle,” Anand said. “Israel is a settler-colonial apartheid state that has occupied Palestinian land and has been committing ethnic cleansing since 1948. As Indians, having endured colonial rule for over two centuries, we naturally stand with the Palestinian people against oppression.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 66,000 Palestinians since October 2023, with women and children accounting for nearly half of the victims. The ongoing conflict began after Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground invasion have displaced nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, leaving much of the territory in ruins.
Addressing the Hyderabad protest, Sreeja, representing BDS India (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), highlighted the growing global campaign to isolate Israel diplomatically, economically, educationally, and culturally.
“BDS is an international movement calling for boycott and divestment from companies and institutions that enable Israel’s apartheid policies,” she said.
In recent days, similar demonstrations have been staged across India, including protests in front of multinational companies such as Tata, Reliance, Mahindra, McDonald’s, and Adidas, which activists allege are complicit, directly or indirectly, in supporting Israel’s war machinery. Sreeja urged Indians to boycott products linked to these corporations as a symbolic act of resistance against what she termed “the genocide in Gaza.”
The protest at Dharna Chowk concluded with a collective call for global solidarity with Palestine and an appeal to the Indian government to take a principled stand in support of human rights and justice.
