By Leigh Thomas
PARIS (Reuters) -Thousands of protesters took to the streets in several major cities around the world on Saturday to demand an end to bloodshed in Gaza, as the conflict in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary and spreads in the wider region.
About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands also gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila and Cape Town.
The war was triggered when militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 in a raid that killed 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and displaced nearly all of the enclave's population of 2.3 million.
"Unfortunately, in spite of all our good will, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and in Yemen, and also probably in Iran," said protestor Agnes Kory in London.
"And our government, our British government, unfortunately is just paying lip service and carries on supplying weapons to Israel," she added.
In London, pro-Israel supporters waved flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city centre ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.
In Berlin, a demo drew about 1,000 demonstrators, who bore Palestinian flags and chanted "One Year of Genocide", a term which Israel disputes, saying it is defending itself. The demonstrators also criticised what they said was police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters in Germany.
Israel supporters in Berlin protested against rising antisemitism and scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian counter-protesters.
Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has drawn some of the biggest global protests in years, in a wave of anger that defenders of Israel say has created an antisemitic climate in which protesters question Israel's right to exist as a nation.
The war in Gaza has spread to the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign against Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent weeks and Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week.
In Paris, Lebanese-French protestor Houssam Houssein said:
"We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen".
"We really need to stop the war because it's now become unbearable," he added.
While its allies such as the United States support Israel's right to defend itself, Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted criticism and argued his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas.
International diplomacy led by the United States has so far failed to clinch a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas wants an agreement that ends the war while Israel says fighting can end only when Hamas is eradicated.
In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after they were blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in the Philippine capital in protest at the United States supplying Israel with weapons.
Demonstrations to mark the first anniversary were due to take place later on Saturday in other cities across the world, including the United States and Chile. Some demonstrations in support of Israel are also planned over the weekend.