Hundreds of people took to the streets of Gżira and Sliema on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Palestinians under siege.

Protesters marked 77 years since the Nakba and called for stronger Maltese and EU action against Israel.

Demonstrators said the Nakba which marked the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948, persists to this day as Israel continues with its relentless offensive of Gaza.

The march began outside the Council of Europe gardens in Gżira and ended at a packed Piazza Sant’Anna in Sliema.

Protestors on their way to Sliema. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Demonstrators chanted slogans including “Free free Palestine”, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, and “Boycott Israel”.

As the crowd marched, drivers honked their horns in support and some cheered. Onlookers at seafront beach clubs joined in from above. Residents from flats along the Gżira seafront were seen coming out onto their balconies to participate in the chants.

Calls for action by Malta and the EU

Protestors called on the Maltese government to recognise Palestine as a state, impose an arms embargo on Israel, and sanction vessels, aircraft and individuals involved in supplying arms for what they described as genocide.

They also called for Malta to de-flag any such vessels carrying the Maltese flag, and suspend cooperation with any institutions or companies complicit in the occupation.

Protestors on their way to Sliema. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Participants also appealed to the EU institutions to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement until Israel complies with the International Court of Justice ruling. They called for Israel’s suspension from European sports competitions and the Eurovision Song Contest.

One of the first to speak was 10-year-old Lara from Gaza, who led the march and gave an emotional speech.

“I didn’t want to leave Gaza and wanted to stay, I really wanted to stay but now I am in Malta but my heart remains in Gaza,” she said.

Palestinian ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania addressed the crowd, recalling that Gaza was once home to 2.2 million people and questioning how many remain.

While thanking the Maltese government for its support, he said Malta must go further and formally recognise Palestine as a state.

“We need recognition now!” he said. “Recognising Palestine is the first step and there is no better time to do so!”

Josef Bugeja from the General Workers’ Union said: “Everyone has the right to a safe life and dream of a future,” affirming the trade union movement’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Rana Abu Ein, a Palestinian diplomat with the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC), said the Nakba “never ended”.

Local support and emotional appeals

Dr Adrian Mizzi, a radiologist at Mater Dei Hospital and lecturer at the University of Malta, said the events in Gaza were not isolated.

“This is not an isolated event. It is still unfolding today but with an unprecedented savagery,” he said, calling on Maltese politicians to label the events in Gaza as war crimes.

He named Prime Minister Robert Abela, Foreign Minister Ian Borg, Opposition leader Bernard Grech, President Myriam Spiteri Debono, and European Parliament president Roberta Metsola as people who should speak out. Each name was met with shouts of “Shame!” from the crowd, with the loudest jeers heard at the mention of Metsola.

Priscilla Cassar, a healthcare professional and activist with Ġustizzja għall-Palestina, said many people have died due to the halt in medical aid.

She pointed to the depletion of hospitals, beds, and incubators in Gaza and said even basic healthcare is now inaccessible.

She called for an official humanitarian corridor to allow medical supplies into Gaza and to protect the rights of healthcare workers.

Former president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca sent a message through a spokesperson, saying “her heart is always with Palestine.”

Andre Callus from Moviment Graffitti urged the crowd to consider the legacy they would leave behind.

“Your children and grandchildren will ask what you did about the genocide,” he said emotionally. “Every day we see children being burned alive and it continues! This is the Nakba of humanity that we have let this go on!”

He added that while the Maltese government had signed a ceasefire call, this had come too late and reminded the crowd about the attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla close to Maltese waters only a few days ago.

“Israel attacked with drones not in Gaza, or Lebanon but in Malta! They attacked Malta and Europe! Prime Minister, your silence is deafening!”

The speeches concluded with a reading of correspondence between Ahmed Miqdad in Gaza and John P. Portelli in Malta, delivered by Noura Abdelhafidh and Kamilia Abualhaj.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had launched “extensive strikes” in Gaza as part of the initial stages of a new offensive, Operation Gideon’s Chariots. The offensive, aimed at defeating Hamas and freeing hostages, was announced in a statement published in Arabic on Telegram.

According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, Israeli strikes killed 100 people on Friday.

The Malta march was organised by the Embassy of Palestine in Malta, Ġustizzja għall-Palestina, Moviment Graffitti, Lebanese Advocates, The Watermelon Warriors, and Youth for Palestine.