Tehran, May 8 (IANS): Iranians marked the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day nationwide in support of Palestinians.

The ceremonies on Friday were mostly held online, amid the concerns over the spread of Covid-19, for the second year in a row, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mass rallies to mark Quds Day used to be held in the streets and squares of the Iranian cities before the pandemic hit the country in early 2020.

On Friday, the Iranians swarmed to social media websites and expressed their fury with Israel.

In the capital Tehran and some other cities, a number of people gathered in the squares to show their protest against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

They burned the Israeli flag and chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.

In Tehran's Palestine Square, anthems and songs condemning the "crimes of the Zionists" were sung.

Motorists also held rallies in the streets by raising the Palestinian flags.

In a statement on Thursday, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the Muslims around the world to mark Quds Day and demonstrate their objection to what it called "the violation of rights of Palestinians".

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the establishment of sustainable peace in Palestine will be realized only through the settlement of basic problems in the Palestinian crisis," the ministry statement said, adding Israel should end its occupation policy.

Quds Day, initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians, is an annual event held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, which falls on May 7 this year.

Protests are held on the day every year in Iran and some regional countries to protest against Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem since the 1967 war.