By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - Hundreds of people held a demonstration Thursday in the British capital to protest Israel’s attacks on Gaza and to commemorate those killed in a strike on a hospital.
The event, organized by the Jewish activist group Na'amod in Parliament Square, also criticized the British government for remaining silent over what is happening in Gaza.
The crowd chanted slogans including "End to the genocide," "Immediate cease-fire" and "Release all hostages" while holding banners and signs, one of which said: "British Jews demand freedom and equality for all Palestinians."
Reading a statement on behalf of the group, Danny, who preferred to give only his first name, said the situation in Gaza is worsening every hour.
Touching on Tuesday’s Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, he said the appalling scenes of devastation horrified millions across the globe.
Saying they share the pain of those in Jewish communities still mourning for those who were killed in the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli towns, he added they are hoping for the return of the 200 kidnapped Israeli citizens.
"We can't stand idly by as the Israeli military engages...in collective punishment, killing thousands and forcibly displacing over a million Palestinian civilians in Gaza before our eyes.
"This is a crime against humanity," he added.
Criticizing the "self-defense" statements by the Israeli leadership, he said: "We fail to see or understand any context in which the bombing of civilian targets could ever be considered proportionate or necessary."
He added that no Palestinians should be linked with the "war crimes of Hamas," just as innocent Israeli civilians should not bear responsibility for the "war crimes of their government."
"We are gathering here tonight to demonstrate that Jewish people in the UK refuse to be used as a justification for the inflicting of violence in Gaza and the further displacement and killing of Palestinians."
- 'Your silence is complicity'
Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), condemned the Oct. 7 attacks but added that "nothing justifies war crimes."
"Nothing justifies indiscriminate killings. Nothing justifies the collective punishment of a population who has been under siege for the last 17 years unlawfully," she noted.
Calling for compliance with international obligations, Ahmed said that food, water, fuel and all essential goods should get into Gaza.
"Can you imagine going to bed tonight (knowing that) you and your family may not survive? Even if you are in a UN building seeking shelter, even if you are in a hospital seeking shelter, you are not safe in Gaza," she said.
She went on to say that the British parliament and the government have done "nothing" to prevent what people in Gaza are facing.
Prime Minister “Rishi Sunak, (Foreign Secretary) James Cleverly. You will be remembered by history for not standing up and not saying to Israel that they cannot collectively punish an entire population," said Ahmed
"Your silence is complicity, and you will be remembered for that.”
The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to ease the “epic human suffering.”
At least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.