Tens of thousands march in London for Gaza truce, arms sales halt to Israel
Pro-Palestine demonstrators demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the UK to stop supplying arms that enable Israel's assault on the besieged enclave.
People gather to attend a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in London, Britain September 7, 2024. / Photo: Reuters
Tens of thousands of people have marched to the Israeli embassy in London to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a stop to arms supplies to Israel.
Gathering at Piccadilly Circus, central London, the crowd on Saturday later marched to the Israeli embassy as part of the 19th national demonstration since October.
Carrying Palestinian flags, the protesters called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a total halt of arms supply to Israel as more than 40,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
On Monday, the government announced that it was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, warning there is a clear risk that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
'Do more to stop killing'
The 30 licences cover components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet programme.
Chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, the protesters urged the British government to do more to stop the ongoing killing.
Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Besides killing more than 40,000 Palestinians since then, the military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.
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