Crowds protest in Cape Town for an end to Israel-Gaza war, as conflict nears second year

Crowds took to the streets of Cape Town on Saturday demanding an end to the Israel-Gaza war, as the conflict is on the brink of entering its second year. 

Some waved Palestinian flags, while others carried placards accusing Israel of genocide, as the group marched to parliament in a demonstration organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Some in the crowd expressed their support for South Africa’s claim in the International Court of Justice, insisting that Israel’s military action in Gaza in the wake of the October 7th Hamas attack constitutes “genocide.”‘

"I think the state of Israel is genocidal. It's a settler colonial state. We know what it means to have land stolen, racism and white supremacy as South Africans, so I'm here to make sure that apartheid does not exist and continue in a legal form anywhere,” said Cape Town resident Lee Anne Naidoo.

Others, meanwhile, said they felt that history is repeating itself. 

Irish tourist James Conlon said, "As an Irish person, I feel sort of aligned to people that have been oppressed, that have struggled and have been colonised, and it's completely unjust what's happening in this world and it's sickening and I want to just lend my voice to this group of people that also stand with the oppressed and with the voiceless.”

According to Gaza’s health ministry, almost 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since the war broke out following the October 7th Hamas attack.