Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered Monday in the heart of Manhattan, denouncing the Israeli government and demanding that the United States stop supporting its ally in the Middle East, as clashes raged between Israel-Palestinian resistance groups.

With signs reading "Israel go to hell!" and "NYC stands with Gaza," people of all ages stood in front of the Israeli consulate general waving Palestinian flags.

Across the heavily policed street, a pro-Israel group stood behind security barriers hurling insults at the other gathering.

It was the second day in a row that the city had been the scene of tense counterprotests between pro-Palestinian residents and others defending Israel.

Young activists wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves took turns at a megaphone to demand a "free Palestine" and "an end of the colonization and occupation of our Arab land," adding that "Zionism is racism."

They chanted "No justice, no peace," and "No justice on stolen land," while their placards compared the situation in Gaza to the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto in World War II.

Leena Abukuwaik, a 45-year-old Palestinian American, told AFP she had "a brother, two sisters and lots of cousins, my whole family," in Gaza, of whom she had no news.

"I'm not sure if they are bombed or not, if they are alive, if they're injured, if they are safe," she whispered, holding back tears.

Also protesting was Ray Gordon, an 81-year-old American retiree who lives between Maryland and Florida, "That's a thing that infuriates me: It's my tax dollars that arms Israel," he said.

"End all U.S. aid to Israel," he told AFP.

Asked about Hamas' attack on Israel on Saturday and the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians, Gordon replied, "It's a wonder that it hasn't happened before ... what goes around comes around, that's what I would say to" the Israeli government.

Maryam Alaniz, a 27-year-old doctoral student, said she does not think that "civilian casualties are justified, but I'm also not a pacifist."

"I also denounce the methods and tactics of Hamas. I think that the Palestinian struggle should be organized from below, by the Palestinian people, democratically," she said.

UK sees protests

Earlier Sunday, dozens of people held a demonstration in the British seaside resort city of Brighton to show support for Palestine.

Some 100 people gathered in the city center around 2 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT).

Carrying Palestinian flags and signs, they chanted "Free Palestine" during the demonstration, which was held by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

"Boycott, sanction Israel," "Stop the massacre" and "End the siege" were among the messages on the signs carried by the group in front of the Clock Tower.

Along with the organizers, some Palestinians also made brief speeches expressing their thoughts and experiences.

A young Palestinian woman, who preferred not to mention her name, said she was speaking on behalf of Palestinians who don’t have that privilege.

She said her grandparents had to flee Palestine in 1948 by foot to first Jordan and then Lebanon.

"My family has not ever been allowed to speak up for generations, and every time I come to these protests, my grandmother cries and says one of us can speak up."

She said that she hopes they can see a free Palestine in their lifetime.

The gathering, which lasted about an hour, ended with more chants of "Free Palestine."

'Time to stand up'

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) following the protest, Russell Johns, 63, said there is a need for people to take to the streets to express their support for Palestinians.

Saying they are trying to make people learn what has been happening in Gaza and the West Bank for years, he criticized the misrepresentation by some media outlets regarding Palestinians.

"What makes Palestinians 'terrorists' ... (is) that resistance happens because of the decades-long pressure that they have suffered," Johns noted.

Accusing Western governments of being "complicit" over their expression that "Israel has the right to defend itself," he asked why people have never heard from those politicians about Palestinians' rights for equality and freedom.

"Palestinians ... never get the real support and solidarity that they deserve, and that's why we are in the situation," he said.

He also expressed concern over possible land attacks by Israeli forces against Gaza, saying the death toll would be "horrendous."

Citing a recent opinion poll, Johns said that support for Palestine among the British public is 50%, while 25% view Israel unfavorably.

It is time for the British government and politicians to stand up for Palestinian rights "for just once," he added.

The Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday, saying the unprecedented attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army initiated Operation Iron Swords, launching airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.