A Jewish community held a rally in New York City’s Times Square on Wednesday, in support of Israel in the recent tensions with Palestine.

Hundreds of people can be seen in the iconic square, waving Israeli flags and listening to speakers.

“They have to understand that Israel has the right to defend the country and the people. Israelis have the right to live a normal life and not to run into shelters on a daily and hourly basis,” said one of the speakers.

Violence has erupted in recent days amid protests in East Jerusalem over possible evictions of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Clashes that began at the Al-Aqsa compound escalated into an exchange of rockets between Hamas and Israel on Monday.