LONDON 

A group of people on Monday staged a rally in the Lithuanian capital to denounce business ties with Israel amid President Isaac Herzog's visit to the Baltic state.

People gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Vilnius to protest Israel's close cooperation with Lithuania, according to the Delfi news portal.

While Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda was holding talks with Herzog at the palace, protesters carrying Palestinian flags chanted slogans such as "shame" and "Free Palestine."

According to the report, the duo's agenda for talks includes support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and bilateral relations between Vilnius and Tel Aviv.

The two presidents are also expected to attend the Lithuania–Israel Business Forum later on Monday.

Herzog's visit came as the international community stepped up pressure on Israel to end its assault on Gaza and allow enough humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.