Uganda Muslims demonstrate against Israel bombs in Gaza
A section of Muslim youths on Monday morning staged a peaceful demonstration in Kampala, Uganda’s capital to express their concern for the killing of Palestinians in Israel bomb attacks.
The youth, who first performed Eid ul-Fitr prayers at Nakivubo Stadium, carried placards and moved around the stadium protesting against Israel’s occupation of the Gazastrip.
Kampala city lord mayor Hajji Elias Lukwago who was also present at Nakivubo (for prayers) asked the newly elected UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa to prevail over Israel who he said was killing innocent civilians and this according to him tantamount to crimes against humanity.
“As a leader, I ask the new president of UN General Assembly who is our own to act against the Zion aggressors; this is the only gift he can give Muslims as they celebrate their Eid because UN is a body for all people across the divide” Said Lukwago.
This development comes after renewed attacks of Israel on Gaza over the weekend. Rocket fire from Gaza resumed on Saturday night with warning sirens sounding across central and southern Israel in an apparent rebuff by Hamas of attempts to extend a 12-hour humanitarian truce, a snub that could risk escalating the war.
Thousands of people in Gaza ventured out from homes and shelters on Saturday to find that whole streets and neighbourhoods had been destroyed in the past week after Israel and Hamas both agreed to a UN request to cease military activity from 8am until 8pm. But Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that it had resumed rocket fire despite reports that Israel had agreed to a four-hour extension of the truce.
The renewed attacks – and an unconfirmed report that a Palestinian in southern Gaza was killed by Israeli tank fire after the 8pm end-of-truce deadline – followed an appeal by the foreign ministers of seven nations to extend the 12-hour pause in fighting.
Despite the breach, late on Saturday night Israel's security cabinet approved an extension of the ceasefire until midnight local time on Sunday. This was at the request of the UN, an Israeli government official said, adding that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would act against any breach. Envoys from the US, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Turkey and Qatar had gathered in Paris to call for an extension of the 12-hour humanitarian truce.