Thousands of protesters marched as part of a nationwide pro-Palestine rally in Italy.

Footage shows large crowds out on the streets of Milan as they voiced their support of Gaza on September 22.

Held under the slogan 'Let's Block Everything', the mass mobilisation aimed to pressure the government to suspend commercial and military support to Israel.

Grassroots unions called for a 24-hour strike as public transport was disrupted, including in major cities such as Rome and Milan. Dockworkers in Genoa and Trieste also blocked ports to halt arms shipments to Israel.

The USB trade union federation said in a statement: 'The strike is taking place in response to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, the blockade of humanitarian aid by the Israeli army and the threats against the international Global Sumud Flotilla mission.

'USB also denounces the inertia of the Italian government and the European Union, which refuse to impose sanctions on the State of Israel and continue to maintain economic and institutional relations despite the gravity of the situation.'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has distanced the government from the protests.

The country has not joined other European nations that will formally declare Palestine a state this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.