Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in central London on Saturday calling for a direct ceasefire within the lethal struggle between Israel and Hamas.

It was the third consecutive weekend that the British capital had seen a big rally in help of Palestinians because the assault by Hamas on Israel earlier this month.

Israel unleashed a bombing marketing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed throughout the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 individuals, principally civilians, and seizing greater than 220 hostages, in accordance with Israeli officers.

The well being ministry in Hamas-run Gaza stated Israeli strikes had killed 7,703 individuals, primarily civilians, with greater than 3,500 of them youngsters.

Saturday’s protest in London got here as Israel’s military intensified its assault on the war-torn Gaza Strip late Friday.

Many demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans together with “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

They additionally held indicators that learn “Free Palestine” and “Gaza, stop the massacre,” whereas some protesters let off fireworks and pink and inexperienced flares.

Dani Nadiri, 36, stated UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s name for a “humanitarian pause” within the preventing to permit support into Gaza and hostages to go away was not sufficient.

“A full ceasefire needs to happen,” the TV producer instructed AFP, including: “It’s time now to do something rather than let it escalate any further.”

Noori Butt, from Luton in southern England, stated she simply needed the struggle “to end”.

“It can’t go on like this. The world is dying and I want lasting peace for everybody. That’s the way it should be,” the 38-year-old instructor instructed AFP.

About 100,000 individuals had been anticipated to hitch the “March for Palestine,” in accordance with London’s Metropolitan Police, which stated it had deployed greater than 1,000 officers to patrol the march.

The demonstrators gathered at Victoria Embankment at noon, earlier than making their method to the British parliament in Westminster.

The drive stated it will not tolerate any hate crimes through the march.

Expressing help for Palestinians is allowed in Britain however praising Hamas — a banned terrorist organisation within the UK — isn’t.

The Met stated officers would intervene if protesters used the phrase “jihad” in chants.

Nearly 100,000 individuals attended the same march in London final Saturday. Thousands additionally rallied within the British capital on October 14.

Other rallies befell Saturday in Manchester and Glasgow, Scotland.

The UK authorities’s stance on refraining from calling for a ceasefire is in step with the place of the United States — each say Israel has the proper to defend itself inside worldwide legislation.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated Saturday that Hamas has given no indication it “desires or would abide by calls for a ceasefire”.