Pro-Palestine protesters gather in front of Israeli Embassy in London

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in London on Monday, triggering a tense standoff between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.

The rally was organized by several UK groups including Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.

It took place in the High Street Kensington area, where emotions ran high as protesters expressed their support for the Palestinian cause.

The atmosphere remained charged with chants of "Free Palestine. Exist! Resist! Return!" "Stop the war on Gaza" and condemnations of Israel as an "apartheid state" echoing through the streets.

- 'When will the world recognize the sacrifice and pain?'

"I'm here for the children of Gaza," Cami, a Palestinian, told Anadolu.

"It's a tragedy that's been unfolding for 75 plus years. My own family had a beyond horrific circumstance happened to them, lost everything by force. Their village was herded into a holy place and massacred. I'm here for them."

"I've been coming to this embassy to protest for years. You tell me: when will the suffering and when will the pain of the Palestinians be resolved? When will the world recognize the sacrifice and pain?" she added.

Another demonstrator, Sophia, said this is a reaction of "Palestinians against 75 years of apartheid and brutal repression."

"I think Palestinians are brave to resist, and I hope that they're victorious. This is, you know, the biggest assault on the cities achieved by Israel in the last 75 years, and they have no other means to resist," she said.

Jeff Kevin, a Londoner, said "things will not improve until the Zionists realize that they can't send another 5 million people to the concentration camps. This is ridiculous, and I mean the last 24 hours, with all our politicians only taking the Israeli side. There's a disgrace. You can't lock up 5 million people and expect them to sit there quite happily."

Meanwhile, supporters of both Palestinians and Israelis clashed at a London Underground station, with dozens of police officers attempting to divide demonstrators at High Street Kensington Tube station.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday.

It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.