Thousands of people marched in solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon in Amsterdam on Saturday during the demonstration held ahead of the first anniversary of ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Footage shows demonstrators carrying huge Palestinian flags as well as placards saying 'Liberation for Palestine' and 'Ceasefire now'.

During the rally one of the activists, Samira, questioned Israel's claims that its military actions meet its right to self-defence.

"The Israelis are claiming the right to self-defence, which they do not have the right to claim because occupied Gaza is within the occupied Palestinian territories," said Samira.

One of the march organisers, Mamdouh, also spoke about Hamas attacks on October 7, noting that "it's not like it happens in a vacuum, it is actually just a page in a long book of Palestinian suffering."

"What Israel says is that they are protecting themselves. It's not true at all, because what they are doing right now is genocide," he added.

Other demonstrators complained about the anxiety over an escalating Middle East conflict. Muhammad, another protester, stated that "we are afraid of a bigger war, Israel is attacking all the neighbouring countries, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran, without calculating which this will lead us to."

During the protest, demonstrators expressed strong opposition to Dutch, German and other European governments' support for Israel.

Similar protests took place across Europe on Saturday, including in Paris, London, Stockholm, Istanbul and other cities.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza broke out on October 7 after the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200, according to Israeli officials.

In the Gaza Strip, Israel launched a large-scale response of airstrikes and a ground incursion. Palestinian officials reported that 41,534 people had been killed and more than 96,092 injured at the time of publication.