Thousands take Berlin streets to protest Israel's war crimes in Gaza

More than 2,000 demonstrators held a rally in central Berlin on Saturday to protest against attacks by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip.

Police in the German capital set the number of demonstrators at 2,500.

The people in the crowd carried Palestinian flags in the colours black, white, red and green and some wore the keffiyeh, the traditional chequered black and white Palestinian scarf.

At the start of the rally near the central station, there were calls for "Freedom for Gaza" and "Freedom for Palestine."

Other chants heard were: "Germany finances, Israel bombs" and "Stop the genocide."

The organizers used a loudhailer to announce: "We want to live peacefully with the Jews." They also said they did not support terrorist organizations or murders carried out in Israel.

Berlin police had banned calls for violence and support for several Palestinian organizations, including Hamas.

The organizers said the demonstrators were to hold a silent march to the Großer Stern landmark in Berlin's Tiergarten park.

Israeli air strikes and its ground offensive have killed over 11,500 civilians in the Gaza Strip in the last 40 days and wounded tens of thousands more, according to figures released by the health ministry.