Thousands once again flood London streets to demand immediate cease-fire in Gaza

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded streets Saturday in London to demand an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and express solidarity with Palestinians.

The mass gathering, organized by civil society groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War Coalition and Friends of Al-Aqsa, commenced at Hyde Park in the early hours, culminating in a march toward the US Embassy.

Amid heavy security measures orchestrated by police, chanting crowds urged peace with slogans: "Cease-fire now" and "Free Palestine" echoing through the city.

Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directly addressed participants of recent Pro-Palestine protests and urged citizens to resist the influence of "extremist" elements seeking to exploit public dissent.

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, retorted to Sunak's speech by advising him to "reflect on his own actions" and consider removing certain senior MPs from his party.

As the demonstrations unfolded, police remained on high alert, implementing intensive security measures for 11 different events across the city.

Since October, solidarity events with Palestine have incurred significant costs, totaling £32.3 million ($41.5 million).

The police force also announced adjustments in the shifts of over 35,000 officers, with the leave of 5,200 officers canceled for Saturday’s events.

Police emphasized the collaborative efforts with neighboring counties to ensure public safety during the demonstrations.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas, in which less than 1,200 people were killed.

At least 30,960 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 72,524 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’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 is 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.