Thousands Rally to Support Israel Outside Downing Street, London
Description
Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street in London for a solemn vigil to mourn the hundreds of lives lost in Israel due to the recent Hamas attack over the weekend. More than 2,000 people attended the Monday night event, showing their support and solidarity with the people of Israel. The footage features individuals waving flags and holding signs, as well as engaging in singing as a gesture of unity with Israel. Many in the crowd also displayed images of those who lost their lives. "We are experiencing some of our darkest days, and we wanted to tell the soldiers and Israeli society that we all have faith in you. We are standing behind and next to you," one protester shared. Ian Duncan Smith, a Member of Parliament, stated, "Hundreds of thousands of British men and women laid down their lives to fight intolerance and Nazism. That is who the British people are. When we see a country like Israel and we see the Israeli and Jewish people suffering due to intolerance, anger, and desperation, we say very simply - we here today are all Jewish, we are all Israeli, and we stand with you because there is no other way." The demonstration comes in the wake of a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on Saturday, October 7, during which thousands of rockets were fired into Israeli territory as part of what Hamas referred to as 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.' Israel responded with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and issued a formal declaration of war on Hamas, warning residents in Gaza to leave their homes. Hamas said the operation was due to the long-running Israeli blockade, raids on West Bank cities and other attacks, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed 'mighty vengeance' on the group. At the time of publication, over 1,600 have been reported dead across both sides in the most deadly escalation of the ongoing conflict in decades.