Diss march over Israel-Gaza war calls for fighting to stop as mock funeral procession goes through town

Activists made their voices heard by holding a peaceful protest march calling for an end to Israel’s incursion into Gaza.

The seven-strong group marched through Diss, carrying a stretcher covered with a Palestinian flag as a mock funeral cortege, and holding placards referencing genocide and demanding that hostilities end.

The Hamas-run health ministry has claimed that the ongoing Israeli ground invasion of Gaza has killed at least 23,000 people. Thousands more are believed to be dead under rubble.

The conflict began after a group of heavily-armed Hamas fighters stormed the Israeli border on October 7 and killed 1,300 people, including many women and children.

Friday’s march in Diss saw the group attempt to draw attention to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

They travelled along Mere Street, Market Hill, St Nicholas Street, Mount Street and back again, walking in silence and ringing bells.

Jane Jennifer, from Roydon, who participated in the demonstration, said: “We were met mainly with respect and received many supportive comments and gestures as we walked through the town on market day.

“Of course, there were a few who objected to our action, telling us to go home and stop ‘all this nonsense’.

“The key point we were trying to express is that all of the hostilities need to stop.

“The number of deaths are so huge on the Palestinian side, but what we’re hoping for is peace, so that no more lives are lost on either side.

“We also want to raise awareness about the extent of what is happening and, if enough people express these feelings, it would be lovely if the Government takes notice and starts dialogue with the people who can bring a stop to this loss of life.”

Despite widespread calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military continues to embark on an unprecedented bombing campaign in Gaza, determined to destroy Hamas and its support structure.

The group, which governs Palestine, took 240 hostages in the October 7 attack on its neighbour and, while some of those individuals have been exchanged in a prisoner swap at the end of November, many more have been killed or are still unaccounted for.

Flare ups in violence in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied areas of land known as the West Bank and the Gaza strip are not uncommon, with the most recent taking place in 2021.

These territories were initially seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Hamas was formed in 1987 to resist this occupation. It assumed control of Palestine during an election in 2006.

Attempts at a lasting peace, most notably in 1993 and 2000, have failed, with Israel saying the fighting will not end until Hamas is defeated.

Demonstrations, like the one in Diss, continue to call for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to get through to the Palestinian people.

“We need to make sure this is brought to people’s attention and, if that ends up making a real difference, that would be great,” added Mrs Jennifer.