Palestine supporters have mourned war dead, rejecting Anthony Albanese's suggestions it's an inappropriate time to rally two years on from the October 7 massacre.
Ahead of the second anniversary of the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel, Mr Albanese said protesting on the date was the wrong approach on a solemn day for Jewish people.
"Tomorrow is not a day for demonstrations," he said on Monday.
"For people who engage and want to support or say they're supporting the Palestinian cause, it will not advance it. It will set it back in terms of support here in Australia.
"It will be a sombre day for Jewish Australians, but for Jewish people everywhere, but for people as well who just regard human rights and decent human behaviour."
More than 1200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during the militant group's attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered a relentless military campaign from Israel that has reportedly killed more than 66,000 Palestinians.
Jewish vigils and events will on Tuesday commemorate the loss of lives and the suffering of the hostages at the hands of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by Australia.
Others will gather to remember the Palestinians killed since then, including one on Monday held at Sydney's Town Hall with the words "Stop Genocide: 730 Days" spelt out in candles.
Raneem Emad, a Sydney university student who has lost dozens of family members in the Gaza war, said the heartbreak of carnage was too much to bear.
"There are no words ... what can we say to give justice to one of our martyrs ... one of the children lost to such violence," she told a crowd of hundreds.
Another speaker, Jewish-Australian academic and long-time activist Peter Slezak, described the October 7 attacks as horrific but also lamented "the ongoing genocide" in Gaza.
He said the prime minister's admonishment was tone-deaf.
"Albanese is constantly hosing down the justified concerns of the protesters when he should be outraged at a genocide," Dr Slezak told AAP.
It comes as organisers head to court on Tuesday to fight to hold a protest outside the Sydney Opera House on Sunday.
NSW Police are trying to shut down the protest citing safety concerns, while Jewish and other leaders have condemned it as insensitive for being held around the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said it was "deeply disrespectful" for a Melbourne vigil to take place on the same date as the October 7 attack.
"Those who want to see peace come to the Middle East would not be behaving in this way, would not be choosing to use a date where too many Jewish people lost their lives at the hands of a terrorist organisation," she said.
The prime minister and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley will give a statement to parliament on Tuesday marking the anniversary of the attacks.
As the date approaches, a poll has found more than half of Australians surveyed believe genocide is happening in Gaza and Israel should face sanctions.
The YouGov survey commissioned by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network showed 58 per cent agreed with a United Nations report that genocide was taking place in Gaza.
Sixteen per cent disagreed, while 26 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed.
The survey of 1501 voting-aged Australians released on Monday also found 69 per cent of respondents agreed Israel's military campaign in Gaza should stop.
It also found 57 per cent of respondents agreed Australia should impose sanctions on Israel similar to those placed on Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
APAN president Nasser Mashni said the data showed Australians wanted the federal government to play a more active role in stopping the conflict.
