Editor comment: Australians in their tens of thousands stood up over the weekend and delivered a very clear message to the Albanese Government and the global community – the killing in Palestine must end. Across the world the action did not go unnoticed. This report is from the Times of Israel.

Organisers call for unrestricted aid into Gaza, an Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal from the enclave, and sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators marched across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on Sunday to call for increased aid deliveries to Gaza and sanctions on Israel.

The march in Australia’s largest city occurred days after a government minister said the country would recognise a Palestinian state in the future, and as global pressure has mounted on Israel amid reports of deepening starvation in Gaza.

The march was organised by Palestine Action Group Sydney, which has accused Israel of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza, a charge Israel rejects. The group posted on Facebook ahead of the protest that its demands were to remove restrictions on aid into Gaza; for an “Immediate Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal” from the enclave; and for Israel to be subject to sanctions and an arms embargo.

The demonstration was called the “March for Humanity.” The Facebook post listing demands did not mention Hamas or the 50 Israeli hostages the terror group is holding in Gaza.

Some of those attending carried pots and pans as symbols of the hunger in the Strip.

“Enough is enough,” said Doug, a man in his 60s with a shock of white hair. “When people from all over the world gather together and speak up, then evil can be overcome.”

Marchers ranged from the elderly to families with young children. Among them were WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr.

Many carried umbrellas amid heavy rain. Some waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “We are all Palestinians.” Members of the crowd also chanted, “Long live the intifada,” a reference to the violent uprisings by the Palestinians that killed hundreds of Israelis, according to videos from the demonstration. At least one person carried a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

New South Wales police said up to 90,000 people had attended, far more than expected. Palestine Action Group Sydney said in a Facebook post that as many as 300,000 people may have marched.

New South Wales police and the state’s premier last week tried to block the march from taking place on the bridge, a city landmark and transport thoroughfare, saying the route could cause safety hazards and transport disruption. The state’s Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that it could go ahead.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Peter McKenna said more than a thousand police were deployed and the size of the crowd had led to fears of a crush.

“No-one was hurt,” he told a press conference. “But gee whiz, I wouldn’t like to try and do this every Sunday at that short notice.”

Police were also present in Melbourne, where a similar protest march took place.

Diplomatic pressure ramped up on Israel in recent weeks. France and Canada have said they will recognise a Palestinian state, and Britain says it will follow suit unless Israel addresses the humanitarian crisis, reaches a ceasefire and restarts a peace process.

Israel has condemned these decisions as rewarding Hamas for the 7 October 2023, attack that launched the war, killed some 1200 people and took more than 250 hostage. Israel has also denied pursuing a policy of starvation and accused Hamas of stealing aid.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1600 terrorists inside Israel during the 7 October onslaught.

Israel has said it seeks to minimise civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 459.

Australia’s centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he supports a two-state solution and Israel’s denial of aid and killing of civilians “cannot be defended or ignored”, but has not recognised Palestine. Another minister said such recognition would happen in the future.

“It’s a matter of when, not if, Australia recognises a Palestinian state… but I don’t want to put a time frame on it,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers told Australian public broadcaster ABC last week.

Australia has seen a string of antisemitic attacks since 7 October, including some at anti-Israel demonstrations. Australia has probed whether foreign support is behind the attacks.

Republished from The Times of Israel, 3 August 2025

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