Rallies in Türkiye call for Gaza ceasefire

China

Rallies in Türkiye call for Gaza ceasefire

2024-10-07 10:47 Last Updated At：14:27

Thousands of people on Sunday marched in nearly 60 cities across Türkiye, including Istanbul and Ankara, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as the war in the Palestinian territory approached its one-year anniversary.

Demonstrators filled the streets to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, protest against Israel's brutalities in the Middle East, and call on Western countries to cease their support for Israel and work towards a prompt resolution to the ongoing conflict in the region.

"The main purpose of our presence here today is to show that we stand with the people of Gaza in the events that began on October 7 (last year)," said Mehmet Kilic, a protester.

"I want the war to stop; it has been a year now, and we are all very sad," said Duygu Soylu, another protester.

In the Fatih District of Istanbul, crowds were seen enlarging, with many people chanting slogans calling for peace.

"If Israel cuts its cooperation with the U.S., freedom will come to the Middle East, God willing. We want a free Palestine, we want a peaceful world, and we want a world without war," said Omer Karabag, a local resident.

Since the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on Oct 7 of last year, relations between Türkiye and Israel have rapidly deteriorated. In early May, Türkiye suspended all trade, both imports and exports, with Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently condemned Israel for exacerbating the conflict throughout the region at any cost, asserting that Türkiye will continue to do everything possible to support the Palestinian people.

According to Gaza-based health authorities on Sunday, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza from the ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 41,870.

Holiday travel enters return peak on National Day golden week

2024-10-07 12:27 Last Updated At：13:07

The week-long National Day holiday has entered the return peak on Monday, with holidaymakers across China hasting their return itineraries by train, car and air, spurring holiday traffic culmination.

The National Day holiday, also known as "golden week," is usually one of the peak travel seasons on China's domestic tourism calendar.

Railways across the country handled 18.52 million passengers on Sunday and are expected to handle 19.86 million passengers on Monday, with 1,705 additional trains scheduled.

Expressways nationwide continue to experience high traffic volumes, primarily due to return trips. The total traffic volume on these expressways is expected to reach 63 million on Monday.

Meanwhile, the country's civil aviation sector is expected to transport over 2.2 million passengers on the same day, with more than 17,000 flights scheduled for domestic routes and over 2,500 flights for inbound and outbound routes.