Muqtada al-Sadr calls for Gaza protests in Iraq

The influential Shia leader has called for demonstrations in Tahrir Square in Baghdad in support of Gaza, according to Al Sumaria, an independent Iraqi news organisation.

In a statement, he called for a “million-man” demonstration so that “your voice and image may reach the world”, according to Al Sumaria.

Muqtada, who led militia forces during the US-led coalition invasion in the 2000s, withdrew from Iraqi politics in 2022. However, he has recently increased his public profile, in what some see as laying the groundwork for a return to politics.