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Global Pro‑Palestine Protests Draw Hundreds of Thousands

Calls for sanctions and a full arms embargo followed reports of new civilian deaths in Gaza that protesters say show the year‑old ceasefire has failed

Overview

  • Organisers said at least 325 coordinated events were held worldwide over the weekend, and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign estimated about 250,000 people joined the London National March for Palestine on Saturday.
  • London's Metropolitan Police confirmed 20 arrests during the march and used Public Order Act powers to compel the removal of face coverings when officers said people were hiding their identity.
  • Local medics and agencies reported fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza in the days before the protests, with accounts of eight people killed on Thursday and at least five killed on Saturday, and Gaza health officials say strikes have continued almost daily since the ceasefire.
  • Gazan doctors and residents say the ceasefire agreed a year ago has not brought reconstruction or stable aid flows, with many people still displaced, hospitals heavily damaged, and basic supplies limited by Israeli control of crossings.
  • Protesters demanded UK and international measures including sanctions and an arms embargo, and the demonstrations highlighted domestic tensions over policing, the proscription of groups such as Palestine Action, and growing political pressure on governments over arms sales and humanitarian access.