Thousands of pro-Palestine supporters demonstrated in London on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the 1948 Nakba.
“Nakba” or “catastrophe” is a reference to the forced removal of an estimated 750,000 Palestinians from their homes when Israel was founded after the Second World War.
The protest, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, saw demonstrators walk from Embankment to Downing Street as they called on the UK government to “take action to end the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land”.
Israel has vehemently denied committing genocide against Palestinians.
The march on Saturday saw smaller counter-protests organised by Stop the Hate. Israeli flags were flown and “Happy Birthday” was played.
The protest came as Israeli forces have ramped up a bombing campaign in Gaza and mobilised for a massive new ground assault.
More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Read more:
How Israel has escalated Gaza bombing campaign
‘At least 93 killed’ in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Friday
Israel’s army said in a post on X on Saturday that it was intensifying attacks and exerting “tremendous pressure” on Hamas across the strip. It said it will not stop until the hostages are returned and Hamas dismantled.
Israel and Hamas have said ceasefire talks resumed in Doha on Saturday morning, even as Israel’s strikes continued.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said Hamas had “refused to discuss negotiations without a cessation of the war”, but after the airstrikes and the mobilisation of forces the militant group’s representatives “have agreed to sit in a room and seriously discuss the deal”.
“Israel emphasises that if the talks do not progress, the [military] operation will continue,” he added.
