Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East ahead, Reuters reports.

About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London, while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City.

Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting against US support for Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

Protesters at New York’s Times Square chanted slogans like: “Gaza, Lebanon you will rise, the people are by your side.” They held banners demanding an arms embargo against Israel.

In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered morning near the US embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel.