Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demand ceasefire during London march

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in central London on Saturday calling for an immediate ceasefire in the deadly war between Israel and Hamas.

It was the third consecutive weekend that the British capital was the venue for a large rally in support of Palestinians since the attack by Hamas on Israel earlier this month.

Israel unleashed a bombing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed 7,703 people, mainly civilians, with more than 3,500 of them children.

Saturday's protest in London came as Israel's army intensified its assault on the war-torn Gaza Strip late Friday.

Many demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans including "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", a slogan some Jewish organizations say calls for the destruction of Israel and is anti-Semitic.

They also held signs that read "Free Palestine" and "Gaza, stop the massacre," while some protesters let off fireworks and red and green flares.

Dani Nadiri, 36, said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's call for a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting to allow aid into Gaza and hostages to leave was not enough.

"A full ceasefire needs to happen," the TV producer told AFP, adding: "It's time now to do something rather than let it escalate any further."

Noori Butt, from Luton in southern England, said she just wanted the war "to end".

"It can't go on like this. The world is dying and I want lasting peace for everybody. That's the way it should be," the 38-year-old teacher told AFP.

About 100,000 people joined the "March for Palestine," according to British media which reported that a few demonstrators threw kicks and punches at police officers as they detained someone near the British parliament.

London's Metropolitan Police, which deployed more than 1,000 officers to patrol the march, said one protester was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer.

A man was also arrested for making racist remarks and threats to kill, the force added.

The demonstrators gathered at a central point by the River Thames at midday, before making their way to the UK parliament in Westminster.

The force had said it would not tolerate any hate crimes during the march.

Expressing support for Palestinians is allowed in Britain but praising Hamas -- a banned terrorist organisation in the UK -- is not.

Police said officers would intervene if protesters used the word "jihad" in chants.

Nearly 100,000 people attended a similar march in London last Saturday. Thousands also rallied in the British capital on October 14.

Other rallies took place Saturday in Manchester and Glasgow, Scotland.

The UK government's stance on refraining from calling for a ceasefire is in line with the position of the United States -- both say Israel has the right to defend itself within international law.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Saturday that Hamas has given no indication it "desires or would abide by calls for a ceasefire".