ON SATURDAY, around 3,000 people gathered in the central Habima Square to participate in a joint Jewish-Arab demonstration against “the war of extermination and starvation.”

The demonstration was organised by Coalition For Peace and the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, in a first attempt in months to hold a massive rally against the war in the heart of major city in Israel.

“Holding this rally in Tel Aviv is important so that Jewish Israelis will also realise what is occurring in Gaza in their name,” said Mohamad Barakeh, head of the High Follow-Up Committee.

Initial plans for the event included a march in the streets of Tel Aviv, but on Friday, only 24 hours before the event, Israeli police has revoked the permit for the march. Amir Badran, head of Hadash in Jaffa, and the sole Arab representative in the Tel Aviv-Jafo municipality, condemned on stage the “silencing tactics of police” aimed at “limiting the sane voice of the public against the war.”

Nevertheless, the success of the rally proved that even severe political persecution has its limits. In face of the inhumane brutality that the Israeli government calls its “war policy,” silence was never an option.

The organisers vowed to continue in relentless civil unrest against the crimes of starvation, slaughter and ethnic cleansing. Following a similar mass demonstration in the Arab municipality Sachnin about a month ago and a public hunger strike, a clear awakening of war resisters is evident in both the Jewish and Arab societies in Israel.

The rally gathered in the aftermath of the IPC (the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) declaration of an ongoing famine — the highest phase of the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale — in Gaza.

Protesters carried banners depicting pictures of starved children in Gaza, alongside the vigil with pictures of killed children. They also carried out banners calling to “Stop the genocide,” “Refuse the occupation” and “Resist deportation” — referencing the daily atrocities committed by the Israeli government, military and settlers militias in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Two large banners by activists of Hadash and the Communist Youth called for a “Jewish-Arab comradeship against fascism” and “Never Again to extermination.”

On the stage, speeches were given by both Jews and Arabs, highlighting the shared character of the event. Among them were Mohamed Barakeh, director Shira Gefen, Mayor Mazen Ghnaim (mayor of Sachnin and head of the Committee of Heads of Arab Municipalities), conscientious objector and communist youth leader Ella Keidar Greenberg and Dr Lina Qasem Hassan, head of the board of directors of Physicians for Human Rights.

In his keynote speech, Barakeh called for immediate end of hostilities in face of preparation by Netanyahu to invade the city of Gaza. He denounced Netanyahu for prolonging the suffering of innocent from both people by refusing the concurrent ceasefire agreement.

Barakeh also called for the release of all the hostages, captives and prisoners in a deal that will see the Israeli military leave the Gaza Strip completely.

He recalled his 2009 visit to Auschwitz extermination camp, in a official parliamentary mission from the Knesset (Barakeh served as a member of the Knesset from Hadash from 1999 to 2015), saying that human suffering knows no race or religion, but that preparators of the crimes do.

He pleaded with the Jewish public to have the courage to connect with the suffering of the people of Gaza and ask in admonition how can a Jewish prime minister stay in office when he carries extermination policies. Keidar Greenberg, who in March refused military draft and was consequently incarnated in military prison, called for Israelis of all ages to refuse the military draft.

Recent polling showed a great increase in public approval of refusal tactics, and groups that assist military objectors report on larger numbers of refusers.

Dr Qasem Hassan spoke of the criminal Israeli campaign against the health sector in Gaza and called for the immediate release of all Palestinian public health employees that are still imprisoned by Israel.