Thousands of people have joined a pro-Palestine march in central London calling for an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The Metropolitan Police said an estimated 100,000 demonstrators assembled on Saturday afternoon for the protest, with the procession travelling towards Whitehall from Marble Arch.

People held placards aloft saying “Free Palestine” while others unfurled a giant Palestinian flag and let off green smoke flares.

The gathering took place as the Rafah border crossing was opened on Saturday – allowing humanitarian aid to pass from Egypt into Gaza.

The aid shipments have been described as a “lifeline” by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly – although UN officials say they are insufficient to deal with the “catastrophe” unfolding in Gaza.

Protesters in the capital demanded for an end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, in the wake of the surprise terror attack by Hamas on 7 October.

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People were heard chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – despite controversy over the meaning of the slogan.

The slogan was branded antisemitic by Home Secretary Suella Braverman – who claimed it is “widely understood” to call for the destruction of Israel.

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Jewish organisations have asked prosecutors to clarify whether chanting the slogan is a criminal offence.

But defenders of the slogan say it is a “long-standing protest chant” that calls for a homeland for the Palestinian people.

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Police said there had been “pockets of disorder and some instances of hate speech” during the demonstration.

But the majority of activity has been “lawful and taken place without incident”.

The Met said has seen a huge rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes from the start of October.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “It is not acceptable and I promise we will investigate.”

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