Thousands march in London to call for cease-fire in Gaza, suspension of all arms sales to Israel

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Thousands of people on Saturday held a march to the Israeli Embassy in London to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a stop to arms supply to Israel.

Gathering at Piccadilly Circus, central London, the crowd later marched to the Israeli Embassy as part of the 19th national demonstration since October.

Carrying Palestinian flags, the protesters called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a total halt of arms supply to Israel as more than 40,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7.

On Monday, the government announced that it was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, warning there is a clear risk that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The 30 licenses cover components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet program.

Chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, the protesters urged the British government to do more to stop the ongoing killing.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Besides killing more than 40,000 Palestinians since then, the military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.