'It's not over yet': Tel Aviv celebrates Pride but war in back of mind

AI Summary

Tel Aviv held its first full Pride march since the October 7 attack and ongoing war in Gaza, featuring rainbow flags, floats, and music by Bad Bunny, despite the conflict's shadow. Participants expressed relief and happiness to celebrate Pride amid ongoing tensions in the region.

Rainbow flags, colourful floats and Bad Bunny on loudspeakers brought a festive mood to Tel Aviv for this year's Pride march, the first in full form since before the October 7 attack and the war in Gaza. "I wanted to come last year, they cancelled it at the last minute, and the previous year too," Orion Tree, a nursery employee who joined the march, told AFP under the blazing sun of the coastal Israeli city. "I'm 40 years old, and I've been waiting to go to Pride since I was a child. So I'm really happy to be here," he said.