Pro-Palestinian protests take place in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Salford

Thousands of people are taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest in London for the second consecutive weekend.

The Met Police estimated up to 100,000 people had joined the march, which was due to end in a rally near Downing Street, as of 14:00 BST.

Smaller demos have taken place in Birmingham, Cardiff and Salford.

It comes as the first aid deliveries have reached Gaza since Israel imposed a blockade after a Hamas attack on 7 October killed 1,400 people in Israel.

Palestinian officials say more than 4,000 people have since died in Israeli bombing.

The Met Police said more than 1,000 officers were involved in policing the London event.

Assistant commissioner Matt Twist said the Met acknowledges “strong views on these issues”, adding “we will be objective and act without fear or favour”.

In an update at 16:30 BST, the Met said the number of demonstrators in central London had gone down, with many on the march making their way home.

Officers made one arrest at the demonstration in relation to an “incident last week”, the force added.
In Cardiff, around 1,000 protesters waving Palestine flags and supportive placards took part in a march towards the Welsh Parliament.

It was organised by several groups who are calling for on the British and Welsh governments to insist on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for “full humanitarian aid” to be sent in.

Maggie Morgan, from the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Cardiff, told the BBC: “We are taking to the streets as a show of solidarity to the people of Gaza, to show our support for them, but also to make the government listen, and say ‘not in our name, we’re not having this.'”

Israel cut off supplies of fuel, electricity and water to Gaza after Hamas’s military wing broke through the border into Israel, killing people and taking more than 200 hostages.

Meanwhile, about 1.4 million Gazans have been displaced with more than half a million people in 147 UN shelters, the UN says.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has warned the conflict is threatening to engulf the Middle East.

Mr Cleverly has visited Israel, Turkey and Qatar as part of diplomatic efforts around the worsening crisis in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Speaking at the Cairo Peace Summit, he said: “This has been an issue which has long stimulated passions and we are now all seeing on social media and in our communities how divisive and polarising the current situation has become.

“So we have a duty to work together to prevent instability from engulfing the region and claiming yet more lives.”

Protesters on the London march were heard chanting a slogan that some use to call for Palestinian control of all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, calls for the destruction of Israel.

She has previously urged police chief constables to “consider… whether its use in certain context may amount to a racially aggravated” offence, though the Met has said the chant alone does not constitute a criminal act.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security to Jewish communities, has said it is aware of plans for a smaller protest in Golders Green, an area of north London with a large Jewish population.

The group said it was speaking to police about social media posts calling for a gathering in the area. It urged people “to be vigilant and maintain good personal security”.