Preston City Centre hosted one of the largest Pro-Palestine rallies of the past week.

Crowds converged on the Preston’s flag market before walking through the city centre. Demonstrators had gathered to highlight the plight of the Palestinians who had suffered immense bombardment from Israeli firepower in the past two weeks.

Ismail Timol, one of the organisers from the campaigning group Children of the Ghetto said: "What is currently happening in Gaza is nothing short of a genocide, where innocent women and children are being massacred.

"The attacks on worshippers at Masjid Al Aqsa, Jerusalem in the last few days of the Holy month of Ramadan was totally unacceptable.

"The forced evictions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

"All of the above actions by Israel needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms.”

Ismail added, "The aim of the rally and march is to raise awareness of the Palestinian cause."

Naima Adam, organiser and local resident said: "We’ve come together to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem. We want the world to know that we cannot just stay silent when Israel continues to oppress an entire people through various means of aggression. 

"We are holding this protest and rally in the hope that we can amplify the issue to those who may not be aware and also stands as a message to those who hold power that we are watching and we are holding them to account."

The 11 nights of cross-border bombardments has led to more than 250 deaths and many more injured, the vast majority of them Palestinian.