Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists marched through the bustling streets of Tokyo’s Shibuya district on Wednesday evening, the third anniversary of October 7, to demand an immediate end to Israel’s military aggression against Palestinians and to call for a free Palestine.

Organized under the banner “Stop Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine! 10.7 Shibuya March,” the rally drew participants who waved large Palestinian flags, carried placards reading “Free Palestine” and “Stop the Genocide,” and chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine!” as they moved through one of the city’s busiest commercial areas during the evening rush hour, including past the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

arabnews.jp

The demonstration, called by groups including Palestinians of Japan and Emergency Action for Peace in Palestine, highlighted solidarity with the Palestinian people amid what organizers described as ongoing occupation, colonial settlement, and systematic destruction. Protesters urged a full boycott of Israel and called on the Japanese government and corporations to end any complicity in the violence.

jcp.or.jp

Three years after Israel launched its large-scale military campaign on Gaza following the events of October 7, 2023, the coastal enclave remains devastated. Gaza health authorities report that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured since the assault began, with women and children making up a significant portion of the casualties. A fragile ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 has failed to halt the suffering: Israeli forces continue to carry out airstrikes, shelling, and other operations, killing more than 1,400 additional Palestinians in the year since the truce, according to local health officials.

reuters.com

Much of Gaza’s housing and infrastructure has been destroyed or severely damaged. Roughly two-thirds of the territory remains under Israeli control or severe access restrictions, confining most of the 2.1 million residents to overcrowded tents and ruined buildings in the remaining areas. Reconstruction has barely begun, and humanitarian conditions—marked by shortages of shelter, clean water, and medical care—continue to deteriorate. In the occupied West Bank, settler violence and settlement expansion have intensified, displacing thousands more Palestinians.

china.org.cn

Participants at the Shibuya march heard messages from Gaza residents, including one from a 25-year-old who lost her school and mother in the military campaign and urged the world not to fall silent or assume the war is over. Japanese attendees stressed the need for their government to protest Israeli and U.S. policies and to keep Gaza in the public consciousness.

jcp.or.jp

The Tokyo demonstration forms part of a broader global movement of solidarity that continues to demand an end to the occupation, the protection of Palestinian rights, and genuine freedom for Palestine. As one organizer’s call put it, the voices raised in Shibuya were meant to ensure that the world does not look away from the ongoing ethnic cleansing and the urgent need for justice. (ILKHA)