Vigil held in London to commemorate victims of Israel-Palestine conflict

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Dozens of people held a vigil Tuesday in the British capital to commemorate the civilians killed on both sides during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

At the event, organized by the Jewish activist group Na'amod at the Wellington Arch, one of London's best-known landmarks, the group placed a banner on the ground that said “No one is free until we are all free.”

Speaking during the event on behalf of the group, Josh Cohen said that all people should live free from oppression and violence.

Saying they came together to hold space for "our grief and our worry," he noted that "Jewish liberation is tied up with Palestinian liberation."

"Each life lost is a beloved child, a parent, a friend or loved one tragically taken by the relentless grip of violent conflict. We also honor the memories of those lost in past iterations of this horror, lives tragically taken for no good reason, resulting only in sorrow, pain and more violence."

He reiterated their commitment to an end to all violence and an end to the "dispossession and oppression of Palestinians and a future of equality and justice for all Israelis and Palestinians."

Some stories and testimonies from activists and journalists from the region were also read at the event.

Attendees also lighted candles for the victims.

- 'We're grieving for all civilians'

Another member of the group, Marco, who preferred to provide his first name only, told Anadolu they are grieving not only for one side but for all civilians who were killed during the last few days, which have been "tragic and sad."

"I think today the message that we wanted to send was that we're grieving for all civilians that have died in Israel and in Gaza, and to hope for a peaceful resolution as soon as possible," he noted.

Stressing that the violence in Israel which caused civilian casualties is not excusable, however, Marco added that this happened in the context of the decades-long oppression of Palestinians.

"When you're in an open air prison for many decades, obviously you're gonna want to rebel and do something about it," he added.

He said the only way that everybody will live in freedom in that land is when “everybody's rights will be equal and everybody's rights will be guaranteed, and Palestinians will have freedom."

Marco said they will be taking more actions in the next few weeks in order to prevent more civilian casualties from happening.

The Palestinian Hamas group launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air, and sea. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.

In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 900, including at least 260 children and 200 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday. It said the number of wounded has risen to over 4,500.

At least 1,200 Israelis have been killed and over 2,806 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.