Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several major cities around the world, on Saturday, to demand an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip as the first anniversary of the conflict in the coastal enclave and its expansion in the region approaches.

About 40,000 demonstrators participated in a march in central London, and thousands more gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila and Cape Town.

The latest war broke out in the Gaza Strip after gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7th. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.

The subsequent Israeli attack on Gaza killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Strip's Ministry of Health, as well as displacing almost the entire population of 2.3 million.

Protester Agnes Currie in London said, “Unfortunately, despite our good intentions, the Israeli government does not care about anything and is continuing and continuing its brutal acts in Gaza, and now in Lebanon and Yemen, and it may also happen in Iran.”

She added, "Our government, our British government, unfortunately agrees to this and continues to supply weapons to Israel."

In Berlin, supporters of Israel participated in a protest against growing anti-Semitism and skirmishes broke out between police and people opposing pro-Palestinian protests.

Over the past year, the scale of killing and destruction in Gaza has sparked some of the largest global protests in years in a wave of anger that Israel's advocates say has created an anti-Semitic climate.

The scope of the Gaza war has expanded in the region, attracting groups allied with Iran in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has also sharply escalated its campaign against the Tehran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group in the past few weeks, and Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel last week.

In Paris, Lebanese-French protester Hossam Hussein said, “We fear the outbreak of a regional war because there are tensions with Iran at the present time, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen.”

He added, "We really need to stop the war because we cannot bear the brunt of it anymore."

In Rome, about six thousand demonstrators waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, in defiance of a ban on demonstrations in the city center before the anniversary of the outbreak of war on October 7.

While Israel's allies such as the United States say they support its right to defend itself, Israel faces widespread international condemnation for its actions in Gaza, and now for its bombing of Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the criticism and said that his government's way of managing the war aims to prevent a repeat of the attack launched by Hamas almost a year ago.

International diplomacy led by the United States has so far failed to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Hamas wants an agreement to end the war, while Israel says that the fighting will not end unless the Palestinian movement is eliminated, which the United States classifies as terrorist.

In Manila, activists clashed with riot police after they were prevented from organizing a demonstration in front of the American embassy in the Philippine capital to protest the United States’ support for Israel with weapons.

Demonstrations are scheduled to take place later Saturday in other regions around the world, including the United States and Chile, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Gaza War. Some demonstrations in support of Israel will also be held at the beginning of the week.