Carrying the large flag of Palestine, students together with various progressive groups marched on August 28 inside the University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn Israel’s latest attacks in its brutal genocide in Gaza.

Prior to the march, the groups held a forum at the UP College of Media and Communication auditorium where journalists, students, Moro, health workers, and other academics discussed the aggression and occupation of Zionist Israel in Palestine. They called on the Philippine government to end its complicity in the genocide.

“For decades, the Palestinian people have endured systemic oppression, brutal occupation, and relentless violations of international humanitarian law—especially under the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite all this, the Palestinian spirit of resistance continues and intensifies,” Moro-Christian Peoples Alliance (MCPA) secretary general Amirah Lidasan said.

She said support for the Palestinian people in the Philippines is widespread, especially in Mindanao where a series of actions in solidarity took place recently in Marawi City. Moro activists are also set to join Sumud Nusantara, which is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a voyage of dozens of medium and small boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza to create a humanitarian sea corridor.

Lidasan noted the recent statement of the Philippine government claiming to show solidarity with Palestine. “If it was genuine in its solidarity with Palestine, then it should hold itself accountable for entering military armament deals with Israel, and cease its use in Moro and indigenous communities in the Philippines,” she said.

Among the weapons purchased by the Philippines from Israel are drones and ships made by Elbit Systems, a company that has raked in massive profits from the genocide in Gaza and surveillance in the West Bank. The Marcos regime is also pushing for a trade agreement between the Philippines and Israel by 2028.

“How can Marcos Jr. speak of solidarity at the United Nations while rolling out the red carpet for the very architects of genocide in Quezon City itself?” Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA) president Dr. Delen de la Paz asked.

According to PPFA, this complicity is also evident in other ways. Recent reports revealed the growing number of Israeli tourists in Siargao, most of them Israel Defense Forces members, who are abusive toward local residents.

Meanwhile, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines’ Jonathan de Santos condemned Western media reporting on the genocide, where Israel is favorably portrayed despite its continuing aggression.

The latest among Israel’s heinous crimes was the successive airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on August 25. The bombing killed at least 22 people, including five journalists, health workers, and other civilians. The first bomb struck the hospital’s upper floors at around 10 a.m. Minutes later, the hospital was bombed again in order to hit rescuers and more journalists who had rushed to the area. The bombings were described as a “double-tap” strike.