NGO Moviment Graffitti held a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian victims of retaliatory bombings in Gaza. They said Gazans are “victims of hardship one cannot even imagine” during the protest, held at the Valletta City Gate on Saturday morning.

“Never before has international solidarity with the Palestinian people been more required,” they said, calling on the European Union to impose sanctions on Israel and put an end to the attacks on the Gaza strip.

The protest ended with a ‘die-in’ on the steps just inside Valletta’s city gate as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with Palestinian victims of the conflict.

Graffitti’s protest was held after escalations in the Palestine-Israel conflict following attacks by Islamist-Nationalist group Hamas. In response, the Israeli Nationalist government launched full-scale retaliatory attacks on the Gaza strip. The conflict has left almost 6,000 dead since 7 October.

In a Facebook post accompanying live footage of the protest, Graffitti said, “Palestinians in Gaza are being massacred by Israel with Europe complicit”.

They said the “ceaseless” bombardment has led to the “brutal murder” of thousands of children, women and men.

“Gaza is a strip of land the size of Malta, changed into an open-air prison by Israel since 2007. Over 2 million Palestinians live there,” they said.

Graffitti said that for 75 years, Israel forced Palestinians out of their home and implemented an apartheid system. They claimed the retaliatory attacks are “the next phase – genocide.”

The event was attended by dozens of protestors who held Palestinian flags and placards reading “Genocide in Gaza” and calling for a “Cease fire now.”

Graffitti has previously criticised European Parliament President Roberta Metsola for her support of Israel in the conflict.

Graffitti has called the move “taking the side of the oppressor” calling for her to “unequivocally condemn the genocide in Gaza and sanction Israel for its war crimes and colonialism.”

Metsola and Europen Commission President Ursula von der Leyen initially adopted pro-Israeli stances following the 7 October attacks. After a visit to Isreal this week, Metsola has since clarified her stance, claiming the European Parliament advocates for a two-state solution.