Pro-Palestinian rallies held in Australian cities

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters took to the streets of major Australian cities on Saturday. In Adelaide, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament House before marching through the city centre. "We need to remember that just because they announced a ceasefire doesn't mean it's over. It will never be over until Palestine is free," said Australian Palestinian community member Jana Fandi who attended the rally.

In Sydney, thousands of protesters gathered in Hyde Park before marching through the streets, chanting and waving banners aloft. "Palestinians continue to face violence from Israeli occupation forces and it's not going to end until the occupation comes to an end," Palestine Action Group activist Dalia Al-Haj Qasem said.

Further rallies also took place in Hobart, Melbourne and Brisbane. Celebrations erupted in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem after the cease-fire was announced between Israel and Hamas on Thursday. The 11-day war left more than 250 dead - the vast majority Palestinians - and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.