Thousands of demonstrators rallied on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, shifting global attention from cinema to the devastation in Gaza, where more than 63,000 people have been killed in the Israeli regime’s genocide since October 2023.

Why it matters:

The high-profile protest ties one of the world’s most glamorous cultural events to the world’s most pressing humanitarian crisis, amplifying calls for accountability over the Israeli regime’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
 

The big picture:

According to Gaza’s health ministry, nearly 63,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed and more than 159,000 injured in the regime’s genocide.

International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-war minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The regime in Tel Aviv is also on trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over charges of genocide.
 

What they’re saying:

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the Israeli regime’s intensified push to seize Gaza City “signals a new and dangerous phase” in the conflict.
 

Go deeper:

The merging of cultural platforms with political protest reflects a growing global movement to isolate the Israeli regime diplomatically and culturally, similar to campaigns against apartheid South Africa. With both the ICC and ICJ pursuing cases against Israeli leadership, international pressure is mounting even as military aggressions intensify on the ground.