East Jerusalem: Hundreds protest Gaza siege

Hundreds of Palestinians attended a rally held near the Nablus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem Monday evening in protest of the Israeli siege on Gaza, and the cutting of fuel supply to the Strip, which Palestinians claim has led to extensive power outages across the Strip.

The protesters lit candles, held up PLO flags and chanted slogans against the closure. Some shouted, "With our spirit and our blood we shall redeem you, Gaza," and "Allahu Akbar," and called on the Strip's residents to stay strong and fight for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Rally in Jerusalem (Photo: Ali Waked)

One Palestrina in woman who attended the march told Ynet that the Palestinians should unite against "the cruel siege on the Gaza Strip" and fight the occupation together.

Another young protester said, "I'm a Fatah member, but there's no difference between Fatah and Hamas on this issue. The sick and the old who are suffering from the blackouts don't care about the political conflict, they just want to live."

Most of the businesses and shops in east Jerusalem remained closed Monday, as a show of solidarity with Gaza's residents.