QUDS DAY’23: Millions rally across world to mark International Quds Day amid continued zionist aggression
Millions of people are taking part in the International Quds Day rallies across Iran and other Muslim countries to show their solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people and condemn Israeli atrocities and acts of aggression against Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The rallies in Iran, organized by the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council (IPCC), started at 10 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) in Tehran and other cities across the country on Friday.
People taking part in the rallies intend to communicate to the world the deplorable situation of the Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities which have intensified this year, especially since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ten routes have been designated for the rallies throughout the Iranian capital, where people from all walks of life are heading to the iconic Enqelab (revolution) Square.
Every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, worldwide rallies are held to support the Palestinian people’s resistance against Israel and the struggle to liberate their territories, which have been occupied by Israel for decades.
The annual event is seen as an opportunity for freedom-seeking people across the world, regardless of faith, to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and vent their anger against the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv, which has occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.
The International Quds Day is among the legacies of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who is revered as a spiritual leader by Muslims across the world. Back in 1979, shortly after leading an Islamic Revolution which toppled the US-backed Shah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini named the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan the Quds Day.
Since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli regime has imposed strict restrictions on the entry and exit of Palestinians to and from the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque. Amid heightened tensions with Palestinian worshipers, Israeli settlers also press ahead with their frequent incursions and provocative rituals at the holy site.
The resistance movements in Gaza and elsewhere have vowed to confront the Israeli regime on multiple fronts.
On April 6, at least 30 rockets were reportedly launched from southern Lebanon into the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation against the Israeli aggression against al-Aqsa. Resistance fighters based in Gaza also fired several rockets toward the occupied territories.
Palestinian sources said the regime’s Iron Dome failed to intercept most of the retaliatory rockets. Following the rocket attack, Israeli warplanes hit targets inside Gaza and positions of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Lebanon.
