Thousands attend Pro-Palestine protest outside Israel embassy in London 

Thousands of people attended a pro-Palestine protest outside the boarded up Israel embassy in west London this evening (9 October).

The demonstration comes after Palestinian militant group Hamas sent fighters across the border to Israel and fired thousands of rockets in an unprecedented attack on Saturday.

Demonstrators let off fireworks, lit flares, sang, danced and chanted “Israel is a terrorist state”, “free Palestine” and “Allahu akbar” at the event High Street Kensington

Wooden boards had been placed near the entrance to the embassy and the gate, while large groups of police officers watched on.

The road was blocked off shortly after crowds arrived and police officers at the scene told how the protest had been “peaceful”.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign. which organised the event said in a statement: “The offensive launched from Gaza can only be understood in the context of Israel’s ongoing, decades long, military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian land and imposition of a system of oppression that meets the legal definition of apartheid.

“This is the context in which we need to understand the cycle of violence. If violence is to end, both that of the oppressor and the oppressed, then we must all take action to end the root cause – Israeli apartheid and oppression of Palestinians.”

At the same time as the protest, thousands of people attended a vigil outside Downing Street for the Jewish victims of Hamas’ attack, which was arranged by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.

Speakers at the pro-Israel vigil included Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and the shadow foreign secretary David Lammy.

There were chants of “let our children go” by the crowd at the event, which event organisers claim was attended by up to 2,000 people.

Many of those attending held up photos of Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas militants.

Others waved the Israeli flag, as well as banners which stated: “I stand with Israel”.

Sir Ephraim told the vigil “no civilised person cannot be moved, cannot be deeply shocked by the scenes of brutal terrorist outrage in Israel”.

Mr Tugendhat said: “I’m here because I spoke to the Prime Minister today and after his call with the Prime Minister of Israel, his commitment is only doubled. Because this country, the United Kingdom, has stood against evil before, we have stood against hatred before, we have stood against antisemitism before – we will always stand against hatred and evil and antisemitism.”

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak attended a prayer service for Israel at a synagogue in north London where he described Hamas’ actions as “barbaric” and “evil”.

He said: “I wanted to come here and stand with you in this hour of grief as we mourn the victims of an utterly abhorrent act of terror.

“To stand with you in this hour of prayer as we think of those held hostage, and your friends and loved ones taking refuge in bomb shelters or risking their lives on the frontline.

“Their barbaric acts are acts of evil… teenagers at a festival of peace gunned down in cold blood. Innocent men, women and children raped, abducted, slaughtered. Even a Holocaust survivor taken away as a captive.”

At least 900 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and more than 600 have been killed in Gaza, with dozens more taken hostage by Hamas

Additional reporting by Press Association.