In a frenzied show of support for human rights in besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Barcelona basketball fans waved banners and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans during a Euroleague Top 16 game on Feb. 5, some of them storming the court before being dragged off by security.

The game between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv had to be stopped for several minutes in the first quarter when protesters jumped onto the court with Palestinian flags at Palau Blaugrana arena in Spain’s Catalonian capitol.

On Jan. 9, three Maccabi Tel Aviv players traveled to the Gaza border to visit and “cheer up” Israeli soldiers during last month’s 23-day offensive on the Palestinian coastal strip.

The homes of some 30,000 Palestinians were destroyed during the onslaught, which killed more than 1,300 people.

The operation was launched in response to rockets sent into southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups that have killed 15 Israelis since 2001.

FC Barcelona won the Feb. 5 basketball game 85-65.