A modest group of Maltese and Palestinians lay down on the City Gate steps yesterday, in a silent protest meant to reflect the deadly Gaza bombings.

Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Network, the protest was similar to others held in several other countries aimed at raising awareness of the decades of violence in the war-torn region.

There is only one way to describe what is going on in this country – genocide

Holding slogans reading ‘Israel is murdering one Palestinian child every hour’, the protesters played dead beside the main entrance to the capital as a recordings of the shelling of Gaza blurred out from a makeshift sound system in a supermarket trolley.

Protest coordinator Andrea Callus described Israeli claims over Palestine as a “Zionist plan” to destroy the Palestinian people. “There is only one way to describe what is going on in this country – genocide.

Israel wants to abolish the Palestinian people. We cannot ignore this, silence is compliance.”

Some 1,400 Palestinians have died in Gaza as the result of Israeli strikes in the troubled area. Israel says the attacks are in response to rocket attacks by Hamas.

A UN imposed ceasefire on Gaza came to an end after just 72 hours when it was declared null by Israel on Friday.

The end to the calm came amid claims that Hamas militants had breached the truce soon after it came into effect. The renewed Israeli shelling killed more than 50 Palestinians and wounded some 220.

Palestinian migrant Bader Zina also joined the protest.

He said he had been forced to leave his country for fear of death, and lived with the pain of knowing he could not return to his home.

“I have no words to describe how I feel about this,” Mr Zina said, fighting away tears.

At 9pm, the network held another activity inviting people to gather near the US embassy in Ta’ Qali “to denounce the genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza, with full US political, economic and military support”.