School children rally outside UK parliament demanding Gaza ceasefire

Hundreds of school children gathered outside the British parliament in London on Wednesday to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as part of the National School Strike for Palestine initiative.

In a child-led press conference, striking school students delivered a powerful statement to the media and politicians urging for an immediate stop to Israel's war on Gaza.

They also spoke of their experience of witnessing a genocide through social media, voicing frustration and anger at the inaction of the British government and opposition.

The children made pleas urging for the safety of their peers in Palestine, after Israel's bombing campaign has killed over 10,000 children since 7 October. 

"We are here because we have a voice, and you need to listen to us," a child, aged 8, said. "We are not too little to understand how awful it is what is happening in Gaza. We know that the killing of children is never acceptable and will never be normal." 

The press conference, organised by Parents for Palestine in collaboration with the National School Strike for Palestine, urged the British government to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, end all arms supplies to Israel and resume funding for the UN humanitarian aid agency for Palestinians UNRWA.

"Our children do not want to grow up in a country complicit in genocide. Whilst almost 12,000 children in Gaza killed by Israel will never get to grow old, our children will speak to their humanity," parent Kate Joseph of Parents for Palestine said.

"The Government and the Labour Party have not just betrayed Palestinian children, but have betrayed children all across this country who have a right to grow up in a world where human rights are protected and people of all races are treated equally."

Central London has seen regular weekly protests since Israel's war on Gaza began on 7 October, with hundreds of thousands marching to call for an end to the bloodshed, putting pressure on the UK government and Labour party, both of which have not urged Israel to stop its onslaught.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK would not rule out Britain eventually recognising a state of Palestine. However, he said this could only come if Hamas was no longer in control in Gaza.