Hamas Calls For Worldwide Solidarity With Gaza Workers Ahead Of International Workers' Day

Hamas issued a compelling call on Friday, urging for a worldwide observance of solidarity with Palestinian laborers and the besieged Gaza Strip, marking the lead-up to International Workers' Day on May 1.

"We call on all movements, unions, and labor associations worldwide to organize a week of solidarity events for the Palestinian workers in Gaza and across the Palestinian occupied territories," the movement said in a statement.

The statement urged solidarity through "demonstrations and marches in capitals and cities around the world, supporting the rights of Palestinian workers in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, and exposing all forms of injustice and oppression by the Israeli occupation."

This year's Labor Day comes amid harsh humanitarian conditions endured by Palestinians, including workers who have almost entirely lost their livelihoods and struggle to find any source of income due to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip for over half a year.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,356 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, and 85% of the enclave's population has been forced into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul -