It seems that the violence in Israel could not be contained inside the Gaza Strip. It has apparently spread all the way to Paris, France. Recently pro-Palestinian supporters took to the streets to voice their displeasure with Israel who, according to AFP, have killed 168 palestinians over the last six days. On sunday, July 13, thousands gathered peacefully marching down the streets of Paris while carrying a sign that read: Total Support for the Struggle of the Palestinian People.

The peace ended at the conclusion of the march when police officers were accosted with different projectiles. The police responded by discharging tear gas. It resulted in six arrests by the end of Sunday night. The police also reported that a small number of protesters tried to break into two synagogues. Riot police managed to disperse the group, but two members of the Jewish community and six riot police were injured in the process.

Joel Mergei, president of the Israelite Central Consistory of France, exclaimed, as reported by AFP, “I am profoundly shocked and revolted. This aggression towards the Jewish community has taken an absolutely unacceptable turn.” At the same time another 6,000 people gathered in protest in Lille, though all accounts reported the protest as remaining peaceful.

Tensions had been high in Israel ever since the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenage boys. Since that time Israel has responded by tightening security in the West Bank, while having to deal with a barrage of rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip. Hamas militants have fired an approximate 715 rockets, though Israel’s Iron Dome has managed to intercept 160 of them.

Amid Hamadouch, 30, a man present at the Paris protest told AFP, “They are bombing innocent people. There are missiles being launched by Hamas, but the Israeli response is disproportionate. They are attacking the civilian population and not Hamas officials.”

Hamas has had a long history of using women and children as human shields. They fire rockets from the tops of schools and hospitals, while bomb shelters and underground tunnels that could be used to protect civilians are strictly under Hamas control. Civilian safety is a top priority of the Israeli Military, regardless of whether they are Israeli and Palestinian. Hamas reportedly fires rockets blindly and indiscriminately in the hopes of killing as many Israeli civilians as possible. When Israel fires back, they claim to fire back at the militants and not the civilians.