'Half a year of hell': Protesters march in Israel amid famine warnings in Gaza
Anger is growing in Israel as people demand the return of the surviving hostages taken by Hamas six months ago, ITV News' Ellie Pitt reports
It has been six months since Hamas' October 7 attacks in Israel, in which they killed more than 1,100 people and kidnapped around 250 people - many of whom a presumed to still be in Gaza.
The attack was the trigger for Israel’s ongoing military action in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health authority, as well as mass displacement of the population and an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
On Saturday night, thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to mark the anniversary, calling for immediate elections and the hostages' release.
Earlier, the police reported a small group of "troublemakers" had started lighting bonfires after the demonstrations ended.
A Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo on Sunday for ceasefire talks.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron warned the “prospect of famine is real” in Gaza as he announced that a Royal Navy ship will be deployed to help get more aid into the territory.
Alongside the vessel, which is not being named for operational security, the Government announced a £9.7 million package for aid deliveries, logistical expertise and equipment support for a humanitarian corridor in the eastern Mediterranean.
The foreign secretary said the UK and its allies needed to “explore all options” including sea and air deliveries to “ease the desperate plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people”.
Lord Cameron said: “The situation in Gaza is dire and the prospect of famine is real. We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it.
“Along with the US, Cyprus and other partners, we are setting up a new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to get aid in as quickly and securely as possible.
“Land access remains crucial to deliver aid at the scale now required. The opening of Erez and the Port of Ashdod is hugely welcome and something the UK has long been calling for.
It is also nearly a week since an Israel Defence Forces air strike killed three British aid workers in Gaza, in an attack the IDF later admitted was a “grave mistake”.
Rishi Sunak said the UK continues to stand by Israel’s right to defend its security, but urged the Israelis to ensure aid gets into Gaza more swiftly, and said the UK remains “appalled” by the airstrike.
The Prime Minister said: “Today marks six months since the terrorist outrage of October 7 – the most appalling attack in Israel’s history, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Second World War.
“Six months later, Israeli wounds are still unhealed. Families still mourn and hostages are still held by Hamas.”
Mr Sunak added: “We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security.
“But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brave British heroes who were bringing food to those in need.”
John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, were the three Britons who died in air strikes carried out by the IDF on their aid convoy on April 1.
The Prime Minister highlighted the growing toll on Palestinian civilians, and said the UK had been “straining every sinew” to get aid into Gaza, while emphasising the need for Hamas to release its captives.
He called for an immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting, “leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire”.
The British armed forces have dropped 40 tonnes of aid into Gaza in recent weeks to tackle the bottleneck in supplies reaching Palestinians.
The five air drops have seen supplies including water, flour and baby formula parachuted into the territory.
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