Herzliya, central Israel - 7 February 2018

1. African asylum seekers raising hands in handcuff gesture, faces painted white, holding signs reading (English, from left to right) "Deported to death because I'm black," "Black or white I'm human"

2. Close up of handcuff gesture

3. African asylum seekers raising hands in handcuff gesture, faces painted white

4. Protester speaking on megaphone

5. Close up of woman protester

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Halofom Sultan, asylum seeker from Eritrea:

"I'm glad to see all the people, all the African asylum seekers as well as Israelis and other people here, and I can say why the people are here, because they are very worried about their future."

7. Wide of protest

8. Banner showing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reading (English) "Stop racism"

9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Tasfou Takle, asylum seeker from Eritrea:

"I was told 'go to your country,' I am asking for asylum, and I am not leaving (Israel) if I am to be sold, so here, I am standing here, I will stand here, I don't want to be deported from Israel, I'm a refugee also now."

10. Sign reading (English) "Black or white I'm a human"

11. Close up of baby in stroller

12. Crowd chanting (Hebrew) "Saving a refugee is a moral obligation"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sigal Rozen, Head of Public Department at the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants in Israel:

"It looks as if we managed to recruit such a large Israeli public, because suddenly the Israeli public realizes that Israel is about to actually deport genuine refugees, but our demands remain the same for the last 12 years, we keep on asking the Israeli government to grant refugee status to the people who deserve this status and to stop abusing them and trying to force them to leave."

14. Protesters chanting (Hebrew) "We will not fall into despair, we will stop the deportation"

Thousands of African asylum seekers on Wednesday protested outside the Rwandan Embassy in Israel, calling on the African country not to cooperate with an Israeli plan to deport them.

Israel has given thousands of migrants in the country until April 1 to accept an offer to leave for an unnamed African destination - widely known to be Rwanda, based on testimonies of people who have already left - in exchange for 3,500 US dollars and a plane ticket. Those who don't leave face indefinite incarceration.

The protesters said the plan would put them in danger and said the deportations were racist. They urged Rwanda and its president, Paul Kagame, not to cooperate. Rwanda is one of Israel's closest African allies.

"Deported to death because I'm black," said one banner. "Black or white I'm human," said another, held by protesters with faces painted white.

Israel has 40,000 migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, who say they fled from danger at home. Both countries have poor human rights records.

Israel claims that most of the migrants are job seekers and cites complaints that they have transformed working class neighbourhoods of south Tel Aviv into unrecognizable slums.

But the migrants and their supporters say those who have left have run into danger in Rwanda and Uganda, another destination country. They claim they have no rights in those countries, and quickly are forced to flee through war-torn countries like Sudan and Libya in hopes of making their way to Europe.

In a 2015 incident, a migrant who had left Israel was captured by Islamic State militants in Libya and decapitated.

The migrants say they do not want to settle in Israel, but want to remain as refugees until it is safe for them to return to their homelands.

"Saving a refugee is a moral obligation," the crowd chanted.

Thousands of migrants entered Israel from neighboring Egypt until Israel completed a massive border fence to stop the flow. Since then, Israel has struggled to find a solution for those who entered the country.

The deportation plan has sparked outrage in Israel, where critics have called it unethical and a stain on Israel's image as a refuge for Jewish migrants.

The government says it has no obligation to take in migrants, and that it has taken steps to make sure they are not harmed. Women, children and families, for example, are exempt from the deportation order.