LONDON: Several hundred demonstrators marched through central London on Sunday calling for Hamas to release Israeli hostages while condemning Britain’s impending recognition of a Palestinian state.
The protest culminated outside 10 Downing Street, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to formally recognise Palestine should Israel refuse a Gaza ceasefire.
Participants waved Israeli flags and wore yellow ribbons symbolising solidarity with hostages still held since Hamas’s October 2023 attack that sparked the ongoing conflict.
Organisers emphasised securing the captives’ freedom should take precedence over diplomatic recognition, with 49 hostages remaining in Gaza including 27 presumed dead by Israeli authorities.
Among attendees were relatives of deceased hostages Nadav Popplewell and Tsachi Idan, who joined calls to prioritise their loved ones’ cases above political gestures.
Adam Ma’anit, cousin of slain hostage Tsachi Idan, criticised Starmer’s September timeline for recognition as misguided foreign policy requiring urgent revision.
Metropolitan Police confirmed three counter-protest arrests including two for violent conduct during the otherwise peaceful demonstration.
Israel faces intensifying global criticism over its 22-month military campaign in Gaza, where UN experts warn famine conditions now prevail under siege conditions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronts mounting domestic pressure over stalled hostage negotiations and controversial plans to escalate military operations without allied support.
Starmer’s recognition pledge aligns with similar commitments by France’s Emmanuel Macron amid growing international concern over Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 61,430 Palestinian deaths since hostilities began, figures the UN deems credible.
Hamas’s initial October 2023 assault killed 1,219 Israelis according to AFP verification of official data. – AFP
