Protesters rally outside Israeli Embassy in Tokyo to demand cease-fire in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Friday to protest Israeli war in Gaza and call for an immediate cease-fire.

According to the Network Against Arms Trade (NAJAT), the street in front of the embassy was blocked off as protesters chanted: "Don't kill children," "Stop the massacre," and "Stop the genocide."

The rally also called on the Japanese government and four Japanese companies to stop buying armed drones from Israel.

A large police presence monitored the event, with demonstrators accusing the Kojimachi Police Department of protecting a "genocidal state" and arresting peaceful protesters.

The protest also called for a boycott of the Tokyo International Aerospace Exhibition, where Israeli defense companies are scheduled to exhibit.

Protesters demanded an end to the Israeli bombardment of Rafah and called for sanctions against Israel.

Earlier, in another demonstration in the Japanese capital, protestors called on the government to stop purchasing drones from Israeli companies, labeled as "death merchants" by the activists.

Some 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.