Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in major European cities and around the world on Saturday to call for a ceasefire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel nears.

According to the Associated Press (AP) and other foreign media, about five-thousand people gathered in downtown Rome, chanting "Free Palestine, Free Lebanon" and waving Palestine flags.

In London, about 40-thousand people marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy presence of police, calling for a ceasefire. Scuffles broke out between police and protesters, with 15 people arrested on suspicion of public order offenses.

According to the DPA news agency, about 950 people staged a peaceful rally in the northern German city of Hamburg, waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags and chanting "Stop the Genocide." 

In Paris, France, several thousand protesters reportedly held a peaceful rally in solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. 

Similar rallies were reportedly held in Cape Town, South Africa and Basel, Switzerland. 

The AP said that the pro-Palestinian protests are expected to peak on Monday, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.