Protesters waved Palestinian flags and placards labelling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “genocidal war criminal” and calling for the “abolition of the Zionist state.”
A group of Hong Kong activists marched in Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday to condemn Israel’s war on Gaza and to call for a ceasefire, marking two years since the latest conflict in the Palestinian territory began.
The five activists began at the Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui and marched along Nathan Road, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, before arriving at the harbourfront, shouting slogans, “Stop the genocide,” “Free, free Palestine,” and “From Ukraine to Palestine, occupation is a crime.”
Among the protesters was activist Yu Wai-pan, a former member of the now-defunct League of Social Democrats. The left-wing pro-democracy group disbanded in June after operating for 19 years.
They waved Palestinian flags and placards labelling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “genocidal war criminal” and calling for the “abolition of the Zionist state.” Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
The protesters shouted their slogans in English as well as Mandarin, addressing tourists from mainland China visiting the city, as the rally fell during Golden Week.
One protester read out a statement after the group held a moment of silence at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier. He asked not to be named out of concern for reprisals.
“Hongkongers should at least recognise the true face of Zionism, reject Israel’s propaganda, show solidarity with Palestine, boycott corporations that sponsor the Zionist project, and do our best to weaken the foundation for Israel’s continued genocide,” he said.
The group also condemned the US, saying that Washington was directly participating in Israel’s plan to annex Gaza. “The US has already vetoed the UN’s peace proposal six times, showing that its true wish is not peace,” the statement said.
The activists also said that China, which has deep involvement in the Middle Eastern nation’s agricultural, technological, and construction industries, was “absolutely in a position to, and should, sanction Israel.” China is the biggest exporter to Israel, and its second-largest importer. According to the Israeli consulate in Hong Kong, the city is Israel’s second-largest Middle Eastern trading partner.
The group called for an immediate ceasefire, as well as demanded Israel lift its blockade on Gaza, end its occupation of Palestinian land, and recognise Palestinian refugees’ right of return.
They also called for the immediate release of hundreds of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to breach Israel’s sea blockade and deliver aid to Gaza.
Swedish climate and political campaigner Greta Thunberg was among the activists aboard the flotilla who were detained by Israel last week. Upon release, Thunberg said at a press conference in Stockholm that she and other detained activists were “kidnapped and tortured” by the Israeli military.
Israel’s war on Gaza was sparked when militant group Hamas stormed into Israel. According to Israel, they took around 250 hostages and killed at least 1,139 people on October 7, 2023. Tuesday’s demonstration coincided with the anniversary.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, two years of Israel’s military campaign in the Palestinian territory have killed more than 67,000. The Lancet medical journal said in January that the actual death toll might be up to 41 per cent higher.
The Israeli military’s own data indicate that 83 per cent of those dead are civilians. Meanwhile, 237 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Israel does not allow foreign journalists to enter the enclave and denies it targets media workers.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Doctors Without Borders, and the world’s leading association of genocide scholars have declared that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition of genocide. An independent United Nations inquiry concluded for the first time last month that “Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Israel denies the charge.
Last Wednesday, UNICEF said in a statement that “151 children have perished through acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.” Aid groups have urged Israel to stop blocking critical aid, though it denies it is using starvation as a weapon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu declared last month that there would be “no Palestinian state” as he signed an agreement to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank. “This place belongs to us,” he said. Top ministers have also backed plans to build Israeli settlements in Gaza.
The daily bombardments have continued in recent days, despite a peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump.
HKFP has reached out to the Israeli consulate in Hong Kong for comment.
Several policemen arrived on the scene about 10 minutes after the protesters arrived at the Tsim Sha Tsui ferry pier.
They took photos of the protesters and checked some of their identity documents, including an Egyptian passport held by a man who joined the group during a brief stopover at Chungking Mansions, an ethnic minority enclave in Tsim Sha Tsui.
An HKFP reporter was also stopped by an officer and asked to hand over their press pass and Hong Kong ID card for an identity check. Police also asked how they knew about the demonstration. About a dozen police officers then followed the protesters as they marched back to the MTR station.
by James Lee13:56, 8 October 2025
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