Thousands in London call for cease-fire in Gaza amid vote in parliament

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Thousands of people staged a demonstration Wednesday in front of parliament in the British capital as lawmakers passed a motion calling for an "immediate humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip following a heated debate.

Carrying Palestinian flags, they called for an end to the bombing of Gaza, where nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

They demanded that members of parliament (MPs) back an immediate cease-fire as lawmakers voted on the motion.

They later marched towards Parliament Square, where a number of speeches were made protesting Israel’s attacks and criticizing the British government over its support for Israel.

During the rally, pro-Palestine slogans were projected onto the landmark Big Ben, including "Stop bombing Gaza," "Cease-fire now" and "Stop war now."

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed at least 29,313 people and injured nearly 70,000 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.