French protesters condemn Israeli carnage in Gaza despite Govt. ban

Thousands of French people have held large pro-Palestinian demonstrations in several cities to express their outrage at the Israeli regime’s deadly raids on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The anti-Israel protesters took to the streets in the capital Paris on Saturday to voice their solidarity with the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and censured the government of French President Francois Hollande for supporting the Tel Aviv regime.

French police said around 11,500 protesters took part in the demonstration held in Paris, while organizers of the rally put the number close to 20,000.

“We are here to declare our total support for the Palestinian resistance and denounce this shameful government for backing the Israeli line,” Omar Alsoumi of the Palestinian Youth Movement told the crowds in Paris.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged similar gatherings in several other cities throughout France, including Marseille, Lyon and Lille.

Reports say more than 2,000 people came out to protest Israel’s atrocities in Marseille, while a similar number braved the rain in Lyon.

Latest figures show at least 1,700 Palestinians have so far been killed and more than 9,000 wounded since the Israeli military first launched its offensive against the Gaza Strip on July 8.

Gaza’s Health Ministry sources say Israel’s large-scale attacks have claimed the lives of more than 350 Palestinian children across the densely-populated territory over the past 26 days.

The Israeli military has not even spared hospitals in its massive aerial and ground raids on Gaza and continues to pound the medical centers which are in desperate need of medicine and equipment.