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Among the sea of tens of thousands who marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday calling for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, were residents from the Hawkesbury — young and old, people from diverse backgrounds, united in compassion.
Many described the event as deeply emotional and cathartic.
“I had to stop watching the images of what’s happening in Gaza — it felt like a modern-day holocaust, and I felt powerless,” said Kooryn Sheaves who made the early-morning drive from Mountain Lagoon to Sydney. “But this march was something I could do, beyond the financial donations I’ve been making to aid agencies.”
She was one of many who said they were moved to tears by the experience. “I cried when I saw all those ordinary people — just like me — crowding onto the Harbour Bridge. It gave me hope. I hope that the starving people of Gaza see that mass of humanity and know they are not alone. We see you, we hear you, and we are doing what we can.”
The protest, one of the largest in recent memory, saw Australians from all walks of life stand in solidarity with civilians trapped in conflict. Many carried signs urging for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to food, medicine, and water.
For residents of the Hawkesbury, showing up wasn't about politics — it was about values. “This was about our shared humanity. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. No one should be bombed, starved or denied aid.”
Jess Homes, Rosie McKay, Lionel Buckett, Tim Wilson just a few of the Hawkesbury residents who attended the March for Humanity
Explainer: How did it come to this?
The modern state of Israel was established in 1948, but its roots go back decades earlier.
After World War I, Britain took control of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire and issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917, supporting “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
After the Holocaust in World War II, international sympathy for Jewish survivors added pressure to create a Jewish state. In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accepted the plan; Arab leaders did not.
On May 14, 1948, Israel state declared independence. The next day, neighbouring Arab countries invaded, leading to the first Arab-Israeli war. Around 750,000 Palestinians were displaced during the conflict into neighbouring countries and many remain in refugee camps.
Since 1948, Israel has continued to expand its control over Palestinian land, especially through the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, which began in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Today:
- East Jerusalem has been annexed by Israel (not internationally recognised).
- Over 700,000 Israeli settlers, many from the United States and Australia, live in the Palestine West Bank and East Jerusalem in settlements considered illegal under international law. These areas are controlled by Israel.
- Gaza remains under Israeli blockade since the Hamas terror attack in October 2023. Since this event which killed 1200 Israelis, around 63,000 people have died in this war with over 224 humanitarian aid workers killed and 217 journalists and media workers.
Efforts toward having a Palestinian State as well as an Israeli State have stalled, and many human rights organisations — including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — have labelled the current situation an apartheid system due to systemic discrimination and land confiscation by Israel.
The conflict remains one of the most enduring and deeply polarising in modern history.
To share your story or photos from the Sydney march, email the Gazette at news@hawkesburygazette.org.au.
