SYDNEY — Tens of thousands of people marched through Australian cities and towns on Sunday, calling for urgent action to save Palestinians facing starvation in Gaza.

Protesters filled streets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and more than a dozen other cities, demanding sanctions on Israel and an end to Australia’s arms trade with the country.

Police estimated 10,000 people marched in Sydney, while organizers claimed 100,000, putting the nationwide total at about 300,000.

In Melbourne, demonstrators gathered outside Victoria’s State Library chanting, “Sanction Israel now.”

Adelaide saw about 5,000 people rally in Victoria Square before marching to Parliament House, where independent senator Fatima Payman addressed the crowd.

In Perth, organizers said 20,000 joined the march, with smaller demonstrations reported in Canberra, Hobart and elsewhere.

Josh Lees of the Palestine Action Group’s Sydney branch said a protest earlier this month on Sydney Harbour Bridge had “generated so much momentum around the country.”

Organiser Nour Salman said Canberra’s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming U.N. meeting in September must be paired with sanctions on Israel: “Enough is enough. There is no ifs, buts or maybes.”

The rallies came two days after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s top hunger watchdog, declared that Gaza City is in famine and warned it could spread across the territory.

The IPC said more than 500,000 people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger, with many at risk of dying. Israel rejected the findings.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 62,263 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

The ministry says about half of those killed were women and children. — Agencies