Hundreds of thousands of Syrians protest Israel offensive

Damascus: Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are gathered in downtown Damascus in a government-orchestrated rally to protest Israel's military offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Thursday's protest is the biggest ever in the Syrian capital since Israel launched the offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Dec. 27.

Syria's official news agency Sana estimates the number of protesters at about a million. But independent estimates put it at hundreds of thousands.

Demonstrators are carrying pictures of Syria's president and the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah, both of whom support Hamas.

Israel has said that it started its campaign in order to stop Hamas rocket fire. Around 700 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive began.