'Spirit of resistance': Lebanese, Arab support for Palestinians swells
In mosques, football stadiums and towns across the Arab world, pro-Palestinian sentiment has surged after a shock Hamas attack on Israel, sparking a groundswell of solidarity for the Palestinians.
From Ramallah to Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo, people have distributed sweets, danced and chanted prayers in support of the "resistance" to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian land.
The Hamas assault has killed at least 900 Israelis and wounded hundreds more, while the militants have taken around 150 hostages, the Israeli government has said.
Israeli retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip targets have killed 765 people and also wounded hundreds, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the blockaded enclave.
Hours after the shock operation began on Saturday, Palestinian supporters distributed sweets in south Lebanon and the capital Beirut.
Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war and Israeli troops occupied the country's south for 22 years.
Residents of the southern port city of Sidon set off fire crackers and gathered in public squares as mosques blasted chants praising "Palestinian resistance fighters who are writing the most wonderful, heroic epic".
A rally was held at the American University of Beirut, where 18-year-old Palestinian student Reem Sobh said: "We are unable to carry weapons but at least, we are able to support them."
On Instagram, Lebanese comedian Shaden Fakih explained the wave of support widely condemned in the West.
"What do you expect from Palestinians? To get killed every day and not do anything about it... to die silently?" she said in a video.
"They will carry arms and fight back. This is their right," she added, noting that she "can be against Hamas and still support any armed resistance against the oppressor, against (Israeli) apartheid".
In the Tunisian capital, schools raised Palestinian flags and a coalition of organisations and political parties have called for massive solidarity rallies.
The presidency declared its "full and unconditional support of the Palestinian people" and of their right to resist occupation.
Source: Agence France Presse
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