In a televised address on Thursday, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged Muslims, Arabs, and peace advocates worldwide to gather for peaceful sit-in protests on the borders with Israel. The primary goal of these demonstrations is to demand the lifting of the siege on Gaza.

Sadr's call for action comes in the wake of escalating violence in Gaza and a recent attack by the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to this attack was a vow to turn all Hamas-associated locations into "islands of ruins," and he called on Gaza's residents to evacuate before Israel intensifies its operations. Subsequently, Israel cut off the supply of food, water, and electricity to the Gaza Strip on October 9.

Tens of thousands of Sadr supporters gathered at Baghdad's Tahrir Square for "million-man" protests last week, demonstrating solidarity with the Palestinian people. Sadr's proposed peaceful sit-in protests are intended to take place on the Palestinian borders with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Notably, the demonstrations are to be carried out without weapons but with shrouds as a symbolic gesture.

Sadr emphasized that the protests would remain peaceful, with the time of the gatherings to be announced later, and with the aim of avoiding interference from governments or military forces. Furthermore, he called for the preparation of an aid convoy of food and water to be sent to civilians in Gaza after coordinating with either Syria or Egypt.

This call to action aligns with an aid convoy of 20 trucks that was positioned near the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. This move followed an agreement reached between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi to open the corridor for the delivery of essential supplies, including food, water, and medicine, to the people in the Gaza Strip.

The recent chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in a significant loss of life, with at least 3,785 Palestinians killed in less than two weeks. The escalation has also led to over one million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents being displaced.

As these developments unfold, Muqtada al-Sadr's call for peaceful protests stands as a manifestation of solidarity with the Palestinian population in their time of crisis.