News - Middle East: Pro-peace Olympic teams at the Olympic Games opening ceremony are to show solidarity with Palestinians trapped under Israeli fire in the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to pro-Palestinian protest organizers.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on Friday with some 90 vessels carrying Olympic teams from countries participating in the event down a 6km route along the Seine.

Pro-Palestine protest organizers expect to hold high-profile demonstrations at the event in a “show of solidarity” with Gazans.

“We call on participating delegations to join calls for a ceasefire now and to stop Israel’s Gaza genocide. We urge Olympic athletes to use their platform to take a stand for Palestinian rights,” said Stephanie Adam from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

“While the International Olympic Committee and host country France would like to hide the dissent, including through repressive and underhanded tactics, the strong popular opposition to genocidal Israel’s presence in the Olympics made itself heard and seen at the Israel-Mali Olympic football match on Wednesday," she said.

On Wednesday, during the Israeli-Mali football match, pro-peace demonstrators booed the Zionists’ team to protest the months-long Israeli genocidal war on Palestinian people, mostly women and children, trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip without water, food and medicine.

Pro-Palestinians also demonstrated Palestine flags during the event.

Adam said pro-Palestinians were in discussions for massive action and demonstrations to be held during events over the next three weeks till the ending of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 11. "The dissent will only grow during the Games."

However, French authorities warn security will be tight with 45,000 police and gendarmes deployed, in addition to 2,000 Games’ guards.

Meanwhile, experts say a “show of solidarity” with Palestinians by the athletes could be flying the Palestinian flag, or writing anti-Israeli messages on their sports attire.

Since the Israel war machine launched its war on October 7, 2023, the regime has faced widespread international condemnation for its ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza.

Till now more than 39,175 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli war machine.

Iran has condemned the Israeli delegation's participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Iran says the Israeli regime is not qualified for membership in any group or organization dedicated to upholding and promoting human rights.

The Palestinian Olympic body called earlier this week on the International Olympic Committee to expel the Zionist entity's delegation from the Paris Olympics.

Source: Press TV