Scores join Israel solidarity protest in Berlin amid spiraling violence

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Around 150 people gathered to show their solidarity with Israel and condemn the attacks by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, at Sderotplatz in Berlin's Zehlendorf locality on Sunday. Protesters could be seen holding Israeli flags and signs attacking Hamas, with the demo, which was organised by the organised by the German-Israeli Society Berlin Brandenburg, also intended to condemn anti-Semitic tensions during protests in Germany in the past few days. Some demonstrators said that they are shocked by the images currently circulating in the media, showing demonstrations where participants were chanting openly anti-Semitic slogans. "I'm shocked that is possible to march through the street in Germany and call for the destruction of Israel and I find so sad especially with our history," commented Christina, a protester. The Israeli envoy Aaron Sagui also spoke at the event and complained that "we have had now ten Israelis dead in this operation" which he said was "much less than our enemy had" but that "people are blaming us for that." "What's disproportional is the way we defend and cherish life and the way they cherish death and bloodshed," he added. Hostilities broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants at the start of the week amid unrest over the planned evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, as well as repeated clashes between worshippers and Israeli police at the al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, during Ramadan. While the Israeli military and militant groups in Gaza have exchanged air strikes and rocket fire, intercommunal violence has also broken out in Israeli cities, particularly those with mixed populations, with protests in the West Bank also frequently resulting in clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters. Since the start of the outbreak of violence, which is the worst since 2014, over 190 Palestinians, including at least 52 children, have been killed, while ten Israelis, among them two children, have died.