Thousands in Chile protest IDF Gaza operation

Demonstrators, mainly from Arab community, march to Israeli and US embassies

SANTIAGO, Chile — About 5,000 people gathered in the Chilean capital to protest against Israel’s military strikes in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.

The march took demonstrators to the Israeli embassy in Santiago, home to a sizeable Palestinian population, where some participants glued pictures of children who have died in the attacks to the walls of the building.

The marchers continued on to the embassy of the United States, seen as Israel’s close ally.

Protests were also held Saturday in Paris and London.

Twelve days of violence between Israeli forces and Hamas have led to more than 340 deaths, most of them Palestinian civilians.

Chile in 2011 recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, without specifying where its boundaries should be affixed.

Some 300,0000 people of Middle Eastern and Arab ancestry live in Chile, compared to a Jewish community of just 30,000.