KARACHI, Pakistan

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Sunday in a massive show of solidarity with Palestinians as authorities blocked access with barricades to the embassy of the US, Israel’s chief ally in its war on Gaza.

The march, one of the largest public gatherings in the country since the Israeli military launched its latest offensive on Gaza last month, was organized by Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s main religio-political party. Thousands of women were also in attendance, local broadcaster Geo News reported.

Originally planned near the US Embassy, the protest was moved to Zero Point following negotiations between organizers and the Interior Ministry.

Security forces used shipping containers and barbed wire to block roads leading to the Red Zone—home to parliament, foreign embassies, and key government buildings.

Waving Palestine and party flags, protesters filled both sides of the road at Zero Point, chanting slogans such as "Down with Israel," "Down with the US,” and "Labbaik ya Gaza (Gaza, we are here)."

"We don’t want to clash with the government and the police. But I want to remind you, the US is not our friend but it's the biggest supporter and protector of the Zionist regime that has killed tens of thousands of unarmed civilians, mostly women and children in Gaza," Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman told the protesters.

Rahman warned that Arab rulers who are silent over Israeli war crimes just to appease the US will be Tel Aviv's next target.

"Bravery and steadfastness have exposed the West's so-called claims of justice, human rights and civility," he went on to say.

Jamaat-e-Islami has called for a nationwide shutdown next Saturday in solidarity with Palestinians.

Thousands attend rally in Karachi

Another large rally was held Sunday in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, organized by the Central Muslim League near the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the country’s founding father. It was attended by thousands, including Nahi Zahir, a Hamas representative in Pakistan.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel, but it supports a two-state solution that calls for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Israeli army resumed its assaults on Gaza on March 18, and has since killed 1,827 people and shattered a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Since October 2023, more than 51,200 Palestinians have been killed in a brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.