Anti-Israel protests held around the world following dramatic escalation of violence with Hamas

Protests have broken out around the world in support of Palestinians amid the violent clashes with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

The disputed area is under the most intense bombardment since 2014, with Israel unleashing a huge firestorm on the territory in response to Hamas missiles.

Thousands in New York, Washington DC, London, Istanbul and other major cities across the globe have taken to the streets to show their support for Palestine, often directing their protests at Israeli embassies and buildings.

The renewed confrontation, following weeks of tensions and clashes in contested Jerusalem, was sparked on Monday evening when Hamas fired a barrage of missiles towards Jerusalem. 

It continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning, with more rockets being fired by the Islamist group into Tel Aviv, and by Israel into Gaza.

The Palestinian death toll was at 36 on Wednesday morning, with ten children among the dead, while five Israelis are believed to have been killed in the conflict so far.

In New York City, Israeli and Palestinian supporters clashed during the demonstrations as police struggle to keep the two groups apart.

Footage taken outside the Israeli consulate in Manhattan shows protesters fighting over barricades after workers had been sent home over safety fears. 

Other video clips show fights breaking out in the streets of New York City as punches are thrown. One man was pictured covered in blood after he was hit with a chair during the bitter confrontations. 

Elsewhere, demonstrations took place in Washington DC and Los Angeles as hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated overnight.

The White House said on Tuesday that Israel had a legitimate right to defend itself from rocket attacks but applied pressure on Israel over the treatment of Palestinians, saying Jerusalem must be a place of coexistence. 

Former president Donald Trump posted to his website, saying that America ‘will always strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself’ as he criticized President Joe Biden over the growing crisis. 

Violence also erupted in London as pro-Palestine protesters clashed with police during a demonstration against the continued conflict in the Middle East.

Activists waving flags, banners and placards, featuring messages including ‘Hands Off Jerusalem‘, took to the streets of the English capital on Tuesday to call for an end to the growing unrest.

Former Labour Jeremy Corbyn was also in attendance, addressing thousands of demonstrators who gathered in the city.

But it is understood tensions flared when police attempted to escort away a small group of pro-Israel counter-protesters.

At one point, footage appears to show a demonstrator seemingly deliberately landing on top of two counter-protesters.

Apparently jumping down from above the activist plants both feet on the back and neck of the two counter-protesters before being accosted by officers. 

The demonstration in London, held opposite Downing Street, attracted thousands following recent protests in Jerusalem against the eviction of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah.

Meanwhile in Germany, the Jewish community called for protection to be ramped up after Israeli flags were burnt in front of synagogues amid escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Police arrested 16 people in two separate incidents at synagogues in the cities of Bonn and Muenster, where Israeli flags were set on fire late Tuesday.

Josef Schuster, president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, blamed Hamas for the escalating conflict in Israel and said tensions were spilling over.

‘Israel and Jews as a whole are subjected to hatred and incitement, particularly on social media. The threat to the Jewish community is growing,’ he said.

Pointing to the flag-burning incidents, he said ‘the protection of Jewish institutions must be raised’.

‘We expect from the people in Germany solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community,’ added Schuster.

The global protests come as Hassan Kaogi, head of the Hamas military intelligence security department, and his deputy, Wail Issa, head of the military intelligence counterespionage department, were killed by Israeli fighter jets, the IDF said.

Yair Revivo, mayor of the Israeli city of Lod, called for army back-up to help secure the area, saying ‘civil war’ was breaking out as residents clashed following the funeral of an Arab man killed by a Jewish local. 

‘This is Kristallnacht in Lod,’ said Revivo, in reference to the Nazi pogrom against German Jews in 1938.

‘I have called on the prime minister to declare a state of emergency in Lod. To call in the IDF. To impose a curfew. To restore quiet.

‘There is a failure of governance. 

‘This is a giant incident – an Intifada of Arab Israelis. All the work we have done here for years [on coexistence] has gone down the drain.’ 

Revivo said his city was spiraling out of control.

‘All of Israel should know, this is a complete loss of control,’ he said, according to The Times of Israel.

‘This is unthinkable. Synagogues are being burned. Hundreds of cars set alight. Hundreds of Arab thugs are roaming the streets. 

‘Civil war has erupted in Lod. 

‘The Orthodox-nationalist community here has guns. I’m imploring them to go back home but they understandably want to protect their homes. Petrol bombs are being thrown into [Jewish] homes. The situation is incendiary.’

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared declared a state of emergency in Lod, and reinforcements were sent to the area after clashes broke out.

Netanyahu on Tuesday said he ‘deplored’ the deaths in Israel, adding that the country’s military would ‘further increase both the intensity and the rate’ of its own air strikes against Gaza.

‘Hamas will be hit in ways that it does not expect,’ Netanyahu said, before the announcement of the third woman’s death in Israel. 

‘We have eliminated commanders, hit many important targets and we have decided to attack harder and increase the pace of attacks.’ 

The homes of three Hamas commanders were destroyed overnight on Wednesday.

A significant barrage begun at 3am local time, with Israel firing into the Gaza Strip.

‘In response to HUNDREDS of rockets in the last 24 hours, the IDF has struck a number of significant terror targets and terror operatives across the Gaza Strip, marking our largest strike since 2014,’ the IDF confirmed. 

‘We are currently striking more terror targets in Gaza.’  

On Tuesday afternoon, Trump posted to his website, saying that America ‘will always strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself’ as he criticised Biden over the growing crisis. 

Earlier, the White House had said Biden was being briefed on the escalating situation.    

Israel’s Iron Dome defence system continued to struggle with the volume of rockets being fired from Gaza on Tuesday evening, after an Israeli air strike caused a 13-storey residential building to collapse in Gaza City. 

The cross-border violence has been fuelled by Israel’s evictions of Muslim communities living in east Jerusalem which led to angry riots breaking out on Temple Mount over the weekend, with hundreds left injured on Monday as riot police shot rubber bullets and fired tear gas at protesters.