Pink and white smoke floats through the air.

As a sea of Palestinian flags waved in the sunshine, thousands of protesters made it to central London.

Most were from the city and its suburbs – some from further afield.

In the crowds are families with children, couples, and groups of friends.

Israel-Gaza latest: Netanyahu says ‘next stage coming’

All were brought together in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Distant struggles become shared sorrows here as women hug tearfully and thousands march together.

“Free Palestine,” they chant.

“No justice no peace,” also rings out.

And – sporadically – the contentious slogan condemned by the Home Secretary, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” can be heard.

‘All life is precious’

Katy Colley describes a “shared humanity”.

She holds a placard saying: “This Jew stands with Gaza.”

She has travelled from Hastings to take part in this march.

“All life is precious,” she says. “Every country should stand up right now and raise up against our leaders and demand a ceasefire.”

That’s the enduring message from most of the protesters we speak to – calls for an immediate end to bloodshed on both sides.

But there are also stark dividing lines still ever-present. The history behind all this – bubbling away under the surface.

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Condemnation of Hamas

Moumoud Tallai tells me Israeli forces have “occupied Palestine for more than 60 years”.

He holds a placard saying, “Stop the Israel-Gaza war”.

He says the people of Palestine have been “suffering for a long time”, and describes what is happening now as “against humanity”.

There is condemnation from all those we speak to about the atrocities committed by Hamas last weekend.

Narimane describes it as “appalling”.

She adds: “But do not punish every Gazan people, especially the women and children – it’s not fair.”

“It’s appalling what happened last Saturday.

“I was shocked but what I’m seeing now is just war crimes from Israel.”

While the demonstration passes largely peacefully, there are still pockets of unrest.

One older gentleman, in his fifties, is in the middle of a huddle of police officers.

He’s on the ground, and then swiftly removed from the march route.

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The Hamas flag

We also come across a disagreement in the middle of the crowd near Downing Street.

A man is remonstrating with those around him about what looks like a green Hamas flag in his hands.

It appears as if he wants to unfurl it, but the protesters nearby are trying to dissuade him.

In the end, he says he will wear it close to his chest instead.

But the very act of having a Hamas flag is a crime here.

The police have warned protesters that Hamas flags or anything else supporting terrorist organisations will not be tolerated.

And while there are an extra thousand police officers on the streets, they may have missed this.

We see another group of women struggling with a bag, some trying to remove a piece of material, others trying to stop them.

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All of it – ripples from the Israel-Hamas conflict – feeling closer than ever here.

This is the largest protest since last weekend’s atrocities – and it won’t be the last.

There’s momentum for the protest movement now on both sides, in a conflict that continues to resonate far beyond its original borders.

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