An emergency protest was held in the Octagon on Saturday, people gathering to reaffirm their support for Palestine following a week of renewed conflict in the Israel-Hamas war.
The first phase of January’s ceasefire ended at the beginning of this month but Israel and Hamas could not agree on terms for the second phase and blamed each other as fighting resumed.
Protest organiser and Palestinian-New Zealander Rinad Tamimi, of Dunedin, said almost 1000 Palestinians had been killed or injured in Israeli air strikes this past week.
Saturday’s protest was the first since celebrating the ceasefire in January, she said.
"Everyone just felt the rage and we just felt like we needed to do something, even though we’re at the moment in month of fasting.
"We shouldn’t be surprised that [Israel is] doing this, but it also felt like everything had started all over again.
"We still don’t know where this is going."
Mrs Tamimi said at least 200 people had joined the protest, which was organised on Thursday — an "amazing" turn-out given the short notice.
"For us here in New Zealand, the least we do is to be out there with one another. For us, the solidarity has always meant the world and will continue to mean so."
Mrs Tamimi urged the New Zealand government to formally condemn Israel for breaking the ceasefire and grant humanitarian visas for Palestinians
"I know they will argue that people can’t get out of Gaza, but we still want that hope to be there," she said.
She also hoped, through the Green Party’s member’s Bill, New Zealand would launch formal sanctions against Israel, Mrs Tamimi said.
"We just need six more MPs to vote on it."
The war began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza border in October 2023, killing 1200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s health authorities, and much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble. — Additional reporting Reuters.
