The youth was ready to render sacrifices for Gaza, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq said on Sunday as thousands marched in Islamabad to express solidarity with Palestinians.

“The freedom of ‘Qibla Awwal’ [Bait-ul-Muqaddas] is the every Muslim’s issue,” he said while addressing participants of the rally which was held in front of the US embassy in the federal capital.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, the death toll as a result of Israeli airstrikes has passed 8,000. The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas stormed across the Gaza border and went on the rampage in Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping 230 others, Israeli officials say.

The United Nations and Muslim countries have called for an immediate ceasefire, with UN chief Antonio Guterres warning that the situation in Gaza was declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed.

Siraj, who leads the religiopolitical party, has announced that the party would hold a ‘million march’ in Lahore on November 19.

“If the US is standing with Israel so we are with Muslims of Gaza and Palestine,” he said and added that Israel has targeted hospitals and populated areas. “Palestinians are facing genocide.”

The JI chief claimed that the country’s rulers, who he believed were afraid of the US, were busy in satisfying the superpower.

“The strength of our faith is the strongest. We need a leader like Salahuddin Ayyubi.”

While stating that the US and Israel would face defeat, he wished that the Muslim world had together raised their voice against the attacks. “Our rulers are afraid. Rulers have turned living countries into graveyards,” Siraj said.

‘Gaza March’

The JI called for a ‘Gaza March’ in Islamabad on Sunday, a day after its workers were dispersed by police after protesting in the capital.

The party said that it would hold a protest outside the US embassy in Islamabad, but permission was not granted by the government to travel to the Diplomatic Enclave despite lengthy negotiations.

Instead, the party was given space at Ataturk Avenue in G-6 to hold a rally where leaders addressed the crowd. The march then was allowed to proceed from Aabpara Chowk to the United Nations office.

In addition to declaring the Diplomatic Enclave off limits, the district administration also told the party that it would not be allowed to block the Srinagar Highway like it did on Saturday.

Strict security arrangements have been made for the march with 1,000 police, 350 Frontier Constabulary, and 300 Rangers personnel on duty. The arrangements would be overseen by four SPs and five DSPs.

On Saturday, police resorted to tear gas to break up the JI protest which had blocked the Srinagar Highway.

The clashes had begun when police began arresting JI workers arriving for the protest. The district administration had maintained that permission for the protest had not been granted.