The protest comes after Hamas handed over another three male Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal that was in jeopardy earlier this week when the militant group threatened to delay their release. Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine campaigners have marched through central London in what organisers claimed was one of the largest protests since war broke out between Hamas and Israel.
![[Protest organisers say tens of thousands of people were involved in the march]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/15/16/32/National-demonstration-in-support-of-the-Palestinian-people-in-London-tj0u83c0.jpeg)
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), along with demonstrators from five other groups, gathered in Whitehall at noon on Saturday before marching to the US embassy in Nine Elms Lane, south-west London, where speeches were made. The protest followed a proposal by US president Donald Trump earlier this month for the United States to consider taking ownership of the Gaza Strip. Mr Trump suggested the US could redevelop the war-torn territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
It also came after Hamas handed over another three male Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal that was in jeopardy earlier this week when the militant group threatened to delay the shaky agreement. That lead to counter-threats from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump, who said “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages weren’t released. Protesters marched holding signs and banners that read “Hands off Gaza”, “Stand up to Trump”, and “Mr Trump, Canada is not your 51st state. Gaza is not your 52nd”.
Speakers outside the embassy included former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who called on “the whole world” to reject Mr Trump’s plan. A counter-protest by Stop The Hate took place along the route of the march at the junction of Grosvenor Road and Vauxhall Bridge. The groups were separated by barriers and a marked area protected by police officers to ensure they did not physically come together. The march was the 24th major pro-Palestine protest in the UK since the October 7 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants which killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, with around 250 people held captive.
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