Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through London and other British cities on Saturday to protest against Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip during fighting with the resistance movement Hamas.
Protesters called for sanctions on Israel during the march in London. Some were draped in Palestinian flags and set off green and red smoke flares. Others carried banners declaring "Free Palestine", "Stop bombing Gaza" and "Sanctions on Israel".
A ceasefire on Friday, mediated by Egypt, ended 11 days of hostilities, during which the Israeli military pounded Gaza with airstrikes which it said were a response to rockets fired by Hamas.
A great number of people rallied in support of Palestinians in demonstrations held in the German cities of Frankfurt and Berlin on Saturday.
In Berlin, hundreds of people came to a rally, many waving Palestine flags and carrying posters that read "Free Palestine," according to a dpa reporter.
Many chanted, "Palestine will be free from the river to the sea" at the event titled "The events in Palestine and the German media."
Another banner, held by the Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East association, said, "Against attacks on synagogues and mosques in Berlin or Gaza." Police reported 500 people were registered for that rally.
Another Berlin rally, to be held later, changed its focus from the initial "Protest Rally Against Israeli Aggression in Palestine," to "Welcoming the Ceasefire," a police spokesman said.
In Frankfurt, some 950 people gathered in the city centre at a rally held under the banner, "Immediate end to Israeli annexation and aggression."
The event was initially peaceful. The participants had also kept to the pandemic-related minimum distances, the police said.
Meanwhile, in nearby Giessen, some 300 people gathered at a "Pro Israel" rally, police said, while there were 70 people at a another pro-Palestinian demonstration.
