Kashmir protests Gaza strikes by Israel

Students of various educational institutions across the Kashmir valley raised slogans in favour of Gaza.

In early morning hundreds of students holding placards raised slogans against Israel oppression over Gaza from last week

Wearing uniforms, students assembled at Lal Chowk in Srinagar and hollered: "Down Down Israel", "Save Gaza", etc.

Earlier, students assembled at Srinagar's Press Enclave with vociferous slogans. Later, they marched towards Ganta Ghar despite
police trying to stop their march.

Meanwhile, thousands of students of Degree College Sopore of North Kashmir also held a peaceful rally in town to show sympathy with Gaza
people, Students marched through the town and reverberate the Save Gaza Slogans.

In South Kashmir a group of journalists held peaceful protest. They raised slogans against Israel and in favour of Gaza.

At least 172 Palestinians were killed in Israel's bombings in Gaza since a week targetted against the Islamic militant group Hamas.

The Gaza Strip is a region on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 km and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.

In 1994 Israel granted to Gaza the right of self-governance by the Palestinian Authority. Gaza before this had been subject to military occupation, most recently by Israel (1967-1994) and by Egypt (1958-1967) and earlier by Syria when part of the Ottoman Empire. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been de-facto governed by Hamas, a Palestinian group claiming to be the representatives of the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly "accorded Palestine non-Member Observer State status in the United Nations".

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)