The "March for Gaza" programme began this afternoon at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, with thousands of participants demanding an end to Israeli atrocities in Palestine and expressing solidarity with its people.

The event officially commenced at 3:00pm, with Islamic scholar Mizanur Rahman Azhari delivering an address to the gathering.

Since early morning, thousands of people have been gathering at the venue through all entry gates. People from different parts of the capital, including Shahbagh, Doel Chattar, and Nilkhet, were seen marching in groups, many carrying the national flags of Bangladesh and Palestine.

Organisers stated that the march is being held in protest against the continued attacks and killings by the Israeli occupation forces and aims to build international public opinion against the aggression in Gaza. They described it as the largest rally in support of Palestine ever organised in Dhaka, calling on individuals from all political and ideological backgrounds to attend.

The gathering is expected to continue until the Maghrib prayer.

Initially, a procession was planned to move from Shahbagh to Manik Mia Avenue. However, the organisers later decided to limit the programme to Suhrawardy Udyan due to logistical considerations.

Photo: Palash Khan

Muhammad Abdul Malek, Khatib of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram, is expected to preside over the event.

Several political and professional organisations, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, and the AB Party, have announced their participation in the event.