Berlin, The German government has condemned the recent anti-Israel rallies staged across the country in the wake of ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip, and vowed to ramp up protection for Jewish institutions.

Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Friday that peaceful demonstrations against Israel's policies were allowed in Germany, "but anyone who uses such protests to shout out their hatred of Jews is abusing the right to protest", dpa news agency reported.

"Anti-Semitic rallies will not be tolerated by our democracy," he added.

Those who protest in front of a synagogue and damage Jewish symbols were not criticising a state, but showed "aggression and hatred against a religion and those who belong to it," Seibert stressed.

"We oppose this with all the strength of a democratic constitutional state."

In recent days, police have intervened at anti-Israel rallies and boosted their presence at synagogues throughout the country after several instances of vandalism and the burning of Israeli flags.

Seibert said the authorities were working with the utmost commitment to solve the crimes, punish the perpetrators and protect Jewish institutions.

Earlier, the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Jeremy Issacharoff, called on the authorities to ensure the safety of the Jewish community.

The government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, also asked Islamic associations in Germany to stand up against violence.

The head of the Central Council for Muslims in Germany, Aiman Mazyek, ha also strongly criticised anti-Semitic protests in front of synagogues.

In other incidents on Friday, an Israeli flag in front of Dusseldorf city hall was burned.

In Neubrandenburg, an Israeli flag was stolen, while in Nordhausen in Thuringia, three people tried to burn an Israeli flag in front of the town hall.

Later in the day, about 200 people took to Berlin's streets to protest Israel's military action in Gaza, a police spokesperson said.

Participants held Palestinian flags and chanted slogans like "Freedom for Palestine" and "Stop the murder, stop the war".

Police in Berlin said several pro-Palestinian groups were planning more rallies in the city on Saturday.

The police were expecting about 80 to 250 participants.

Meanwhile authorities in Frankfurt have banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration planned for Saturday, citing security concerns.