SHOTLIST: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (OCT. 2, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS, HOLDING BANNERS AND PALESTINIAN FLAGS AT HIJAZ SQUARE IN DAMASCUS TO SUPPORT GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA 2. 23-YEAR-OLD DEMONSTRATOR ALI BAKIR SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Arabic) 3. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATION AT HIJAZ SQUARE 4. PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST RAMA KADIBASHI SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Arabic) 5. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATION AT HIJAZ SQUAREDAMASCUS, SYRIA - OCT. 2: Protesters gathered in Damascus on Thursday, Oct. 2, to show solidarity with Gaza and support the Global Sumud Flotilla. Demonstrators at Hijaz Square held signs in Arabic, Hebrew, and English that read “Al-Aqsa is ours,” “No to normalization with Israel,” “The Golan belongs to Syria,” “We are all Gaza,” and “We are all the Sumud Flotilla.” Ali Bakir, a 23-year-old protester, told Anadolu that he joined the demonstration to stand with the people of Gaza, stressing that displaced Palestinians remain emotionally and spiritually connected to their homeland. Palestinian journalist Rama Kadibashi voiced support for the Global Sumud Flotilla and its activists, saying the fleet symbolically broke the blockade in the name of the people. Kadibashi urged countries that recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly to support the flotilla and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said 22 ships have been attacked and seized by Israeli forces, and 19 are believed to have been attacked, but the figure is not certain. A statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla said activists on the vessels were forcibly taken from their vessels by Israeli forces, describing their detention as “unlawful abduction.” It confirmed that 443 activists from 47 countries were being transferred to Ashdod in southern Israel, with Israel saying they are “safe.” The activists aboard the ships attacked by Israel were of various nationalities, including Spaniards, Italians, Brazilians, Turks, Greeks, Americans, Germans, Swedes, British, and French citizens. The aid flotilla was less than 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) from Gaza before being attacked by the Israeli Navy. Activists spotted more than 20 Israeli naval boats approaching the convoy, with the navy ordering them to change course. The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August. It was the first time in years that around 50 ships sailed together toward Gaza, carrying hundreds of civilian supporters. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine. Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.