Huge numbers turned out at pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the release of activists on board a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the territory.

The police in Rome said some 250,000 turned out for a fourth day of protests, after Israel intercepted the 45-strong flotilla seeking to reach Gaza in recent days.

Some 70,000 people took to the streets in Barcelona, according to the police, while the government in Madrid said nearly 92,000 marched in the Spanish capital.