Tens of thousands take to London streets to call for Gaza cease-fire

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in London on Saturday to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza amid a temporary humanitarian pause in fighting.

The large crowd, who marched from Hyde Park to Parliament Square, carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free" and "Free Palestine."

They also asked the UK government and politicians to end supporting Israel and call for an immediate cease-fire and the extension of the four-day humanitarian pause in Gaza.

Despite the humanitarian pause that came into effect on Friday morning, the Israeli army continued raids and arrests in various cities and towns across the occupied West Bank.

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, the first day of the temporary humanitarian pause.

Under the agreement, the hostages will be released in batches over the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas last month.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.