Thousands march in UK for full ceasefire in Gaza

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in London yesterday demanding a permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, as a temporary truce largely held in Gaza. It was the latest large pro-Palestinian demonstration in the British capital since October 7."The occupation needs to end. We need a full ceasefire and not a four-day ceasefire,” Alaa Hassan, a 24-year-old well-being practitioner, told AFP. The demonstrators waved pro-Palestinian banners and chanted slogans as they walked through central London to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster.Some 1,500 police officers were on duty for the protest, including 500 that had been brought in from forces outside of London.There were no immediate reports of violence at the demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War Coalition. "We come to show our solidarity and tell the Palestinians they are not alone, we are thinking about them and we are not gonna stop until they are free,” said 25-year-old student Leila Talhi.In Gaza, a truce was largely being respected as Hamas and Israel’s government released Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas. Israel launched an air, artillery and naval bombardment alongside a ground offensive to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians including thousands of children, according to the government in Gaza.Meanwhile, the UK will double its humanitarian aid to Gaza with a further £30mn for Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign minister David Cameron said. Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday and held discussions with Palestinian officials, for talks on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his office said."I can announce new £30mn of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions,” Cameron said in a statement. "It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”London has already released two tranches of aid: £10mn and £20mn last month. Cameron will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, "including through training and capacity building” and look towards a long-term political solution to the crisis. His meetings come after the start of a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war. Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, and in exchange, 150 Palestinians prisoners are expected to be released.