Pro Palestinian rallies in major New Zealand cities

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters marched through New Zealand's largest cities on Saturday to protest against Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of demonstrators protested in the capital Wellington, as well as in Auckland and Christchurch, holding signs, banners and Palestinian flags.

The marches coincided with Nakba Day, which commemorates the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the war for Israel's independence in 1948. The demonstrations were stoked by five days of clashes that have killed at least 145 Palestinians in Gaza and eight people in Israel.

The clashes were ignited by a Hamas rocket attack on Jerusalem on Monday, following weeks of mounting tension and heavy-handed Israeli measures in the city. Since then, Hamas has fired more than 2,000 rockets, though most have either fallen short or been intercepted by anti-missile defenses. Israel's warplanes and artillery have struck hundreds of targets around Gaza.