France has banned protests in solidarity with Palestine even as the Israeli military barrages the territory with missiles following last weekend's surprise deadly attack on Israel.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in central Paris on Thursday, October 12 in defiance of a controversial new ban on pro-Palestinian rallies in the country.

Videos show French police dispersing the crowds with tear gas and water cannons.

The ban had been announced on Thursday, according to a message senf by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to the country’s police, citing concerns about public order.

Israel-Hamas war: France bans all pro-Palestinian protests

“Pro-Palestinian demonstrations must be prohibited because they are likely to generate disturbances to the public order,” said the minister. He added that any organization of such protests will lead to arrests.

Darmanin also called on the police to protect all locations visited by French Jews such as synagogues and schools, and said any foreigner committing acts of anti-Semitism on French soil will be “immediately expelled”.

The ban follows a deadly and massive attack by militant group Hamas on Israel over the weekend that killed more than 1,200 people with the death toll still rising.

The Israeli government has retaliated with overwhelming force in the coastal enclave of Gaza, which Hamas controls. Airstrikes have killed over 1,500 people in the densely inhabited area, and Israeli officials have shut off supplies of water and fuel to the entire population.