Tens of thousands of Australians marched in more than 40 cities on Sunday, demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and an end to arms trade with Israel. Organisers from the Palestine Action Group put nationwide turnout at about 350,000, including up to 50,000 in Brisbane, although police there estimated the crowd closer to 10,000. In Brisbane, protesters rerouted their march over Victoria Bridge after a court blocked plans to cross the Story Bridge, while Melbourne, Sydney and other state capitals saw central business districts brought to a standstill by flag-waving demonstrators calling for sanctions on Israel. The protests come less than two weeks after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left government said it would conditionally recognise a Palestinian state, straining ties with Israel and drawing sharp criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They also follow a United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warning that 514,000 people in northern Gaza are already in famine, a figure projected to reach 641,000 by the end of September if aid restrictions persist. In Israel, thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and along Highway 90, pressing the government to strike a prisoner-exchange deal with Hamas and end the nearly two-year-old war. Hostage families spearheaded the demonstrations; Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is in captivity, urged Netanyahu to “take responsibility” and accept a negotiated settlement. Israeli media reported traffic disruptions as protestors blocked key arteries and gathered outside ministers’ homes. Solidarity marches were also reported in Brighton in the United Kingdom, Brussels, Tangier and other cities, underscoring mounting international pressure for a halt to the conflict as humanitarian conditions in Gaza deteriorate.