Lonfdon  - More than 1,500 people staged a noisy protest outside the Israeli embassy in London on Sunday n response to Israeli airstrikes that left hundreds dead in the Gaza Strip.

Police were forced to call in reinforcements after protesters tore down barriers holding them back and hurled projectiles in the direction of the diplomatic mission.

Three people were charged with disturbing public order after police forcibly removed a number of protesters from the gathering in the west of London.

Traffic in the area ground to a halt as the protest swelled from an initial group of 500 Palestinians and other people opposed to the Israeli military action in Gaza.

"Israel is a terrorist state," chanted demonstrators as Palestinian flags were waved. Other protesters held up posters reading "Holocaust in Gaza."

British Foreign Secretary David Milliband called for an "immediate halt to all violence" in Gaza. He said a cease-fire was urgently needed to halt the "massive loss of life" from the Israeli bombings.

Milliband said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had contacted his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert and made it clear Israel must stick by its humanitarian obligations. dpa