Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesian Muslims on Sunday protested Israel's military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 400 people. In the capital Jakarta, more than 2,000 Muslim followers from Hizbut Tahrir hardline group, rallied at the National Monument near the US embassy.

In the adjacent Depok district, more than 3,000 Muslim activists from the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, marched through the city's main street, condemning Israeli's brutal airstrikes, witnesses said.

Protestor leader Farid Wadjdi urged the government to sent troops to Gaza to help defend the Palestinian people against the onslaught.

Similar anti-Israeli rallies were also held in several other cities, including in Bandung of West Java, Surabaya and Bojonegoro in East Java province, Purwokerto, Solo and Kendal in Central Java, Banjarmasin in south Kalimantan, and Makassar in south Sulawesi, local media reported.

Indonesia, the world's most-populous Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian struggle for nationhood and has no diplomatic relations with Israel.