Some 500 people marched in support of Gaza at a demonstration in Warsaw on Saturday, while a smaller group gathered for a demonstration backing Israel, dpa reported.
The pro-Palestinian protesters carried photos of civilian victims and chanted "Free Palestine," in what was the largest demonstration in Poland since Israel launched airstrikes on the Strip two weeks ago.
"We lived through the same thing in 1939, when a visionary got the appetite for more land," said protestor Antoni Brzeziucha. "They lived through the Holocaust themselves, and now they're doing the same thing: killing innocent woman and children."
Some demonstrators carried figures of bloodied babies, while others held up pictures of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as they made their way to the Israeli Embassy.
Another group of some 250 people gathered at the capital's old town carrying signs saying, "We stand with Israel," and "Hamas Terrorists: Stop the Rockets." Some sang "Shalom" as they stood in a circle holding candles.
"We have not targeted civilians. They have put their civilians at risk by using people as human shields," said Rabbi Burt Schuman, of the Jewish Cultural Association. "We want to let people know that Israel is acting in self defence."
"We hope and pray for a two-state solution and hope the two nations can eventually live in peace," Schuman said.