- Pro-Palestinian protesters ignited a fire on the wall of the Israeli embassy in Mexico City after clashing with riot police deployed to maintain order.
Approximately 200 individuals gathered outside the embassy in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood on Tuesday for the “Urgent Action for Rafah” demonstration. The protest was in response to an Israeli airstrike that resulted in the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday.
Masked protesters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at Mexican riot police, breached the barricade set up to protect the embassy, and attempted to set the building on fire.
Videos shared on social media depicted the chaos as police struggled to extinguish the flames on the embassy wall, protesters tried to set the building ablaze, and clashes erupted between the demonstrators and security forces.
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Mexico has lodged a formal intervention with the International Court of Justice in solidarity with South Africa’s allegations of “genocide” by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza.
The UN court recently ordered Israel to cease its military operations in the Rafah governorate, following the deaths caused by a strike on a refugee camp. Israel, however, has denied the accusations of genocide, asserting that its actions in Gaza are in compliance with the ICJ ruling. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to civilian casualties as “a tragic mistake.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that the IDF will continue its offensive in Rafah to eliminate Hamas and secure the release of hostages taken during an attack by the Palestinian armed group on October 7 last year.
