ADDS MORE DETAILS; OTHER SMALL EDITS; REVISES DECK
By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - A large crowd on Wednesday gathered outside of the Houses of Parliament in London to demand lawmakers vote in favor of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Protesters chanted slogans as MPs voted on an amendment, proposed by the Scottish National Party (SNP), on whether to support a cease-fire in Gaza.
The amendment calls on the government to "join with the international community in urgently pressing all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire."
Protesters started to arrive near parliament at around 5 pm local time to attend an "emergency rally" called by the coalition, which organizes weekly massive pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Carrying Palestinian flags, the crowd also criticized politicians who have refrained from calling for a cease-fire in the besieged enclave, where the death toll has climbed to more than 11,000 people.
"I do not have the words to describe the moral weakness of any MP who today votes against a cease-fire," Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PCS), said at the rally.
Calling the vote "a simple moral test," he criticized those who back a "humanitarian pause" instead of a cease-fire, saying: "Shame upon them."
Such “pauses,” he said, give the message to the Palestinian people that they can briefly eat and get medical care and “then Israel can again begin to bomb your hospital and bury you and your family under the rubble of your own homes."
In the end, the motion calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza was defeated by a vote of 294-125.
The group later held march towards No. 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's Office, shouting "Rishi (Sunak), shame on you," and then to Trafalgar Square.
As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 41st day, at least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.