France pro-Palestine protests
A woman holds a Palestinian flag as she protests on July 16, 2014 with others on the central Invalides square in Paris against Israel's deadly bombing of Gaza  Getty Images

Palestine supporters have been banned from staging protests in France after violence erupted in Paris during a march.

Clashes broke out after thousands of pro-Palestine supporters marched through Paris, calling for Israel to stop its airstrikes on Gaza. Small groups of demonstrators attacked some synagogues, Jewish stores and neighbourhoods.

Sofiane Benzaroual, a 22-year-old who took part in the protest, said the violence against synagogues "tarnished the Palestinian flag, because the majority of Palestinians want peace, they don't want violence".

Militants from the Jewish Defence League were also involved in violence against pro-Palestinian demonstrators, head of France's leading Jewish organisation Roger Cukierman told AP.

He said the league adopted violent methods and provoked pro-Palestinian protesters.

The ban comes as the Israel-Gaza conflict has caused the death of more than 200 Palestinians and one Israeli in recent weeks.

Israel agreed to observe a "humanitarian ceasefire" proposed by the UN, a few hours after four Palestinian children were killed by a shell fired from an Israeli ship near Gaza City.

Palestinian organisation Hamas, which earlier rejected an Egyptian-backed ceasefire, is yet to comment on the latest proposal.

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