Sit-in protest of Israel-Hamas war by Edmonton's Palestinian community draws hundreds to Alberta legislature

Hundreds of people attend a sit-in protest by Edmonton's Palestinian community on Oct. 18, 2023, at the Alberta legislature grounds in Edmonton. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

Hundreds of members of Edmonton's Palestinian community gathered outside the Alberta legislature on Wednesday for a sit-in protest to show solidarity with those in Gaza affected by the Israel-Hamas war.

Mousa Qasqas, media spokesperson for Edmonton's Palestinian community, told reporters he wants to see the Canadian federal government condemn the latest attacks in the Gaza Strip.

That includes a huge explosion and fire at a Gaza City hospital packed with patients, relatives and Palestinians seeking shelter. Hamas said it was from an Israeli airstrike, while Israel blamed a misfired rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad denied any involvement.

"We feel the underlying issues aren't being discussed ... the occupation of Palestinian land," Qasqas said. "We feel the problem isn't the resistance to the occupation but the occupation itself. We feel this narrative needs to change because we've been using it the last 75 years, and look where it's gotten us."

Gaza is a piece of land on the Mediterranean Sea bordered by Israel to the north and east and by Egypt to the southwest. It is home to about 2.3-million Palestinians and is one of two Palestinian territories along with the West Bank.

The war that began Oct. 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in the past 11 days.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Qasqas said Edmonton's Palestinian community is quite large compared to other cities across Canada, adding that the local Palestinian community chose to hold Wednesday's sit-in in a central location after holding previous rallies on the city's north side to allow more people to attend.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Matt Woodman and Associated Press