Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally across Europe

PARIS

Thousands of protesters rallied across France and Britain on Nov. 18 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, while hundreds of others turned out again in cities across Europe.

Protests have been held across Europe since the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel unleashed the latest Gaza war.

Several thousand people marched through central Paris in torrential rain behind a banner saying "Halt the massacre in Gaza and West Bank, immediate ceasefire.”

"France must immediately call for a ceasefire so that the guns go silent," said CGT union secretary general Sophie Binet, one of several union leaders to speak at the rally.

The CGT estimated that 60,000 people rallied in the capital and a further 40,000 gathered in dozens of other towns across the country.

The Interior Ministry however said 7,000 people marched in Paris and 45,000 nationwide for the third straight Saturday.

In Marseille, AFP saw several hundred people stage a minute's silence for Palestinian victims of the war, while in Toulouse more than 1,200 people took part in a march, according to police.

Elsewhere in Europe, organizers said around 4,000 people marched in Geneva, lighting candles displayed as a map of Gaza in front of the United Nations' European headquarters.

One large banner read "Stop Genocide in Gaza" and many shouted "Free, free Palestine!" in English.

Two rallies were held in Amsterdam, one urging a ceasefire for Gaza, another demanding the release of the Hamas-held hostages, though police said the protests were calm and no arrests were made.

Several thousands marched in Lisbon, many also shouting in English "Palestine will be free".

A few hundred people marched through Warsaw, with the protest culminating in a rally in front of Israel's embassy in Poland.

In the meantime, thousands of Israelis including friends and relatives of hostages taken by Hamas arrived in Jerusalem, capping a four-day march to pressure the government to secure the captives' release.

A column of thousands of demonstrators draped in white and blue Israeli flags, some clutching portraits of the missing, reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem after a 60-kilometre walk.