NextFin news, On Sunday, August 24, 2025, tens of thousands of people marched through multiple Australian cities and towns, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, to show support for Palestinians and call for urgent humanitarian action.
Organizers estimated that around 100,000 people participated in Sydney alone, with a total turnout of approximately 300,000 nationwide. Police estimated about 10,000 participants in Sydney. In Melbourne, protesters gathered outside Victoria's State Library chanting slogans such as "sanction Israel now." In Adelaide, about 5,000 people marched from Victoria Square to Parliament House, where independent Senator Fatima Payman addressed the crowd.
The demonstrations were peaceful and aimed at urging the Australian government to impose sanctions on Israel and end Australia's arms trade with Israel. Nour Salman, an organizer, emphasized the need for Australia to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming United Nations meeting in September and to accompany this with tougher sanctions on Israel.
Josh Lees, spokesman for the Palestine Action Group's Sydney branch, noted that a recent march on Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier in August had generated significant momentum for the nationwide protests.
The protests occurred amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on August 22, 2025, that Gaza's largest city is experiencing famine conditions, with over half a million people facing catastrophic hunger levels. The IPC warned that without a ceasefire and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid, the famine is likely to spread across the Gaza Strip. Israel has rejected the IPC's findings.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 62,263 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. The ministry, run by the Hamas government, reports that about half of the casualties were women and children. The United Nations and independent experts consider these figures the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties, although Israel disputes the numbers and has not released its own casualty figures.
The conflict began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking hostages.
The protests on August 24, 2025, reflected widespread public concern in Australia over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for government action to support Palestinians and pressure Israel to end hostilities and allow humanitarian aid.
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