Thousands march across the world for Gaza and Lebanon

Tens of thousands of protesters have marched in cities around the world, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory nears the one-year mark.

In Washington, DC, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated outside the White House, demanding the United States, Israel’s top military supplier, stop providing weapons and aid to Israel.

One man attempted to set himself on fire, lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police extinguished the flames.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters also gathered in cities across Europe, Africa, Australia and the Americas to demand an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.

With Israel now mounting a ground operation in Lebanon and promising to respond to a barrage of missiles fired by Iran this week, there are fears the conflict could spiral into a wider war.

A pro-Palestinian protest in Rome that drew thousands of people turned violent, as dozens of young demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.

At the “National March for Palestine” in London, chants of “stop bombing civilians” were joined by shouts of “hands off Lebanon”.

While the rally in London was largely peaceful, at least 15 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and one on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

Other pro-Palestinian protests were planned over the weekend and on Monday in cities, including New York, Sydney, Buenos Aires, New Delhi and Karachi.

Commemorations for victims of the October 7 attack inside Israel by Hamas are also scheduled internationally, including ceremonies in London, Washington, DC, Paris and Geneva. An official anniversary ceremony will be held in Jerusalem on Monday.