The Gaza war has sparked protests, demonstrations, and vigils around the world. These protests focused on a variety of issues related to the conflict, including demands for a ceasefire, an end to the Israeli blockade and occupation, return of Israeli hostages, protesting war crimes, ending US support for Israel and providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since the war began on 7 October 2023, the death toll has exceeded 70,000.
Some of the protests have resulted in violence and accusations of antisemitism and anti-Palestinianism. In some European countries, and Palestine itself, protestors were criminalized, in countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Hungary, which restricted pro-Palestinian political speech, while the Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Hamas in Gaza tortured and executed anti-Hamas demonstrators. The conflict also sparked large protests at Israeli and U.S. embassies around the world.
Nearly 48,000 demonstrations have been held globally, making up 15% of all demonstrations worldwide. Only approximately 1% of all Gaza war protests have turned violent.
Israel
Israeli citizens participated in public protests related to war policies. Jewish Israeli anti-war activists experienced targeting by far-right groups, while Palestinian citizens of Israel experienced crackdowns on free speech, with people arrested for social media posts and likes. Anti-war protests erupted in the Triangle and Galilee, with Israeli police repressing demonstrators in Umm El Fahm, a city in the Triangle. In March, another protest occurred in the city, urging Israel to "end its criminal war"
A hostage-solidarity rally in Tel Aviv on 14 October criticized the government's handling of the war and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. The next day, communications minister Shlomo Karhi proposed emergency regulations allowing for the arrest of people who hurt "national morale". Following a rally in support of Gaza in Haifa, police commissioner Kobi Shabtai threatened to send antiwar protesters to the Gaza Strip on buses. On 28 October, a mob of Israelis gathered at Netanya Academic College chanting "death to Arabs" at Palestinian students living in the campus dormitories.
On 4 November, protests were held near Netanyahu's residence. On 8 November, the Israel Supreme Court allowed police to bar all anti-war protests. On 9 November, Israeli police arrested former member of the Knesset Mohammad Barakeh in Nazareth for attempting to organize an anti-war protest. In an interview with Time Magazine, Barakeh described Israel's crackdowns on free speech as fascist. On 18 November, Israel held its first permitted anti-war protest in Tel Aviv.
The Knesset criminalized the "consumption of terrorist materials" on 8 November. Civil rights groups criticized the bill, stating it "invades the realm of personal thoughts and beliefs". On 2 December, an attorney at Adalah, an Israeli legal center, stated law enforcement was using the law to surveil and silence people, while Association for Civil Rights in Israel said it was "unprecedented in democratic countries".
On 20 November, Kan 11 posted and then deleted a video produced by a private NGO, showing children who were evacuated from Gaza envelope settlements singing "we'll eliminate them all and go back to plowing our fields". On 23 November, communications minister Shlomo Karhi proposed defunding the newspaper Haaretz due to its "defeatist and false propaganda". On 23 November, ahead of the hostage-swap, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stated that any "expressions of joy" related to the release of Palestinian prisoners was "equivalent to backing terrorism".
On 25 November, protesters in Jerusalem called on Netanyahu to resign. Jews and Israelis abroad participated in protests both supporting and protesting the Israeli response in the war. On 29 November, police arrested activists at a Knesset protest opposing the government. Six were arrested on 2 December protesting outside Netanyahu's house in Caesarea. A suspected arson-originated fire was reported at a protest camp for the families of hostages held in Gaza; the families experienced harassment from right-wing Netanyahu supporters.
On 16 December, protesters set up tents outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv and stated they would not leave until the government took up hostage negotiations again. Two activists in Haifa were arrested for quietly protesting against the war.
On 26 December 2023, Israeli teenager Tal Mitnick was sentenced to 30 days in jail for refusing the draft for the war which he condemned as "a revenge campaign... not only against Hamas, but against all Palestinian people". This comment was shared by one of several support groups for conscientious objectors to the IDF.
In August 2025, a nationwide protest billed as a "day of struggle" was seen across Israel with protestors calling for a hostage and ceasefire deal. The largest protest was seen in Tel Aviv with more than 300,000 people attending the protest according to organizers, with many expressing doubt in Netanyahu's government.
Open letters
Some groups in Israel expressed support for the war. Dozens of rabbis signed a letter to Netanyahu and senior defence officials stating that "even when the enemy hides behind a human shield... there is no halakhic or moral preclusion, nor legal preclusion, from bombing the enemy after sufficient advance warning".
A group of 100 doctors called "Doctors for the Rights of Israeli Soldiers", signed a statement stating Israel had a "legitimate right" to bomb "terror nests and Hamas headquarters in the hospitals in Gaza". This prompted a harsh reply from the acting head of the ethics office at the Israel Medical Association, Dr. Tami Karni, who wrote that "doctors are sworn to heal, not kill... Israel's doctors have refused to be dragged into the consciental and moral decline of the enemy, and will continue to act accordingly". The White Robes, an organization which numbers in the hundreds, decried the letter as a "provocative pamphlet by an extremist minority", stating that "calls for indiscriminate destruction and killing, even if justified militarily, are not part of the medical ethical code". Physicians for Human Rights published an open letter signed by 350 physicians and medical personnel, which also condemns the aforementioned call.
In September 2023, over 200 Israeli youth released an open letter entitled Youth Against Dictatorship, announcing that they would refuse to serve.
Palestine
West Bank and East Jerusalem
On 12 October 2023, Hamas called for Palestinians to protest in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, encouraging demonstrations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They also called for protests in neighboring countries and around the world, urging Muslim communities to rally in support of Gaza.
After the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, protests broke out in the West Bank in support of Gaza. On 27 October, hundreds rallied in Ramallah to support Gaza, despite fears of settler violence. On 1 November 2023, a general strike was observed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in opposition to the Israeli attacks on Gaza. On 5 November, protesters in Ramallah protested US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the West Bank, holding signs reading "Blinken, blood is on your hands". On 17 November 2023, Israeli forces fired tear gas on anti-war protestors in Hebron.
On 11 December 2023, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem went on a general strike as part of a larger global strike for a ceasefire; the action also led to the closure of establishments, educational institutions, and administrative buildings in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinian activists and grassroots organizations urged for a worldwide strike. The call for action, which gained momentum through social media, aims to encompass "all facets of public existence" and was considered on 11 December.
On 23 December 2023, the Christmas nativity scene in Bethlehem honored the deceased in Gaza. Boy and Girl Scouts in the West Bank displayed a banner commemorating the child victims of the war during Christmas Eve celebrations. Protesters in Ramallah carried a banner with the names of thousands of the deceased in Gaza on 1 January 2024. On 3 January 2024, Palestinians held a general protest in the West Bank. On 10 January, Palestinians gathered at Nelson Mandela Square in Ramallah to express support for South Africa v. Israel, a lawsuit charging Israel with genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. On 7 February, protesters demonstrated at UN headquarters in Ramallah against the suspension of aid.
On 9 February 2024, Palestinians and Israelis protesting in support of a ceasefire were reportedly attacked by police in the West Bank. On 10 February, Israeli police broke up a Gaza peace protest in Jericho. Paramedics in the West Bank protested against the Israeli killing of two Palestinian Red Crescent emergency respondents killed while attempting to rescue Hind Rajab. Protesters demonstrated in Ramallah on 17 February 2024. In March 2024, the city of Jericho unveiled a street named after Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. servicemen who self-immolated in protest of U.S. support for Israel. Large protests were held in Arraba, Jenin in protest of the Israeli killing of a man named Muhammad Jaber. On 21 March 2024, residents in Jenin went on strike in protest of the killing of three young men. On 26 March 2024, video showed hundreds of people in Nur Shams refugee camp protesting against Israeli actions in Gaza. In August 2024, a report by 7amleh found that young Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem were self-censoring online due to fears of repercussions.
Gaza Strip
In Gaza, young content creators, such as Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, Motaz Azaiza, and Bisan Owda, documented their lives through the war, gaining significant followings on social media.
In January 2024, the Jewish News Syndicate reported that in a rare protest against Hamas, dozens of Gazan children held up signs outside Deir al-Balah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, asking Hamas to free Israeli hostages and end the war, expressing their desire to return home. The IDF's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee shared a recording of the protest on X, tweeting "Will these cries and demands reach the hideouts of Hamas leaders?". The protest occurred a day after another small protest against Hamas in Rafah where Palestinians cursed Hamas and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Organized demonstration against Hamas is not allowed in Gaza. In February 2024, Sveriges Radio reported on some small spontaneous protests by desperate Gazans against Hamas.
A small group of children in Rafah held their own protest in advance of a planned Rafah offensive in February 2024, holding signs in English that read "We refuse to die" and "Save us from this genocide". Protesters at UNRWA headquarters in Jabalia called for more food, chanting, "We want flour, we want flour". Children in Rafah again held their own protest against the Gaza Strip famine on 6 March, holding a banner reading "Stop our daily death".
On 25 March 2025, large anti-Hamas and anti-war protests broke out in the North Gaza Governorate. Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Hamas responded by torturing and executing some of those who organized the protests.
On 26 June 2026, protests were held in Gaza City and other regions of northern Gaza against Hamas.
Africa
Algeria
Protests were held in Algiers on 19 October 2023 denouncing U.S. President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel for "complicity" in the violence in Gaza. On 4 April 2025, at least 800 pro-Palestine protestors gathered in front of the headquarters of the Movement of Society for Peace in Algiers.
Botswana
In October and November 2023, marches were held in the capital, Gaborone to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
Djibouti
Hundreds of people, including foreign nationals, participated in a pro-Palestine march in Arta in November 2023.
Ghana
A National March for Palestine was held in Accra on 2 November, drawing thousands of participants.
Kenya
On 21 October 2023, hundreds of demonstrators in Mombasa showcased banners and waved the Palestinian flag, while slogans like "Cease the Violence", "End the Suffering of Innocent Lives" and "United with Gaza" were displayed. A protest in solidarity with Palestine was later held in Nairobi on 25 January 2024 but was dispersed by police using tear gas. A pro-Palestine protest was also held on 24 February in Mombasa.