Hundreds of protesters last night gathered outside the US embassy in Dublin to demand an end to the conflict engulfing Lebanon.
The Trócaire-organised peace rally attracted Lebanese nationals, Irish citizens, supporters of Palestine, charities and political parties, including the Labour Party and Sinn Féin.
A low-key Garda presence outside the embassy in Ballsbridge was on hand to marshal the noisy and sometimes angry but peaceful demonstration.
Senator David Norris and Labour Party president Michael D Higgins TD were among those to address the crowd, many of whom held aloft pictures of children killed in the Israeli air strike on the village of Qana.
A crowd of around 50 protesters broke away from the main rally to demonstrate outside the Israeli embassy several hundred metres farther down the road.
Justin Kilcullen, the director of Trócaire, linked the US to the mounting death toll through Washington's failure to back the United Nations and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
"To allow the violence in Lebanon, Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory to continue demonstrates a cynical disregard for the hundreds of innocent civilians who are being killed," Mr Kilcullen said.
Trócaire works with both Israelis and Palestinians, and international networks, to protect humanitarian law and human rights.
It wants an immediate, unconditional ceasefire between all sides in the conflict and for international humanitarian law to be upheld.
"In the face of the mounting death toll of innocent civilians in the Middle East, the international community has a legal responsibility under international humanitarian law to use its influence to bring about an immediate ceasefire," said Mr Kilcullen.
"Punishing thousands of civilians as part of a military strategy is not only inhumane but contradicts the fourth Geneva Convention, which sets out standards of conduct for both state forces and armed groups under military occupation," he added.
Also among the participants was Liam Ó Maonlaí of the band Hothouse Flowers, who sang a song specially composed for the occasion. - (PA)