Tens of thousands marched through central London yesterday to demand a ceasefire in Gaza with many also expressing fury at the UK government’s refusal to back one.

As Israel ratcheted up its offensive in the coastal strip 2,200 miles away, around 100,000 people attended the latest demonstration – matching last Saturday’s record turnout for a pro-Palestinian march in the UK.

One difference seemed to be a palpably more tense mood than previous marches, reflecting events unfolding in Gaza and widespread exasperation over the government’s approach to the three-week-old conflict.

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His wife, Nadia, also 56, was preoccupied with a topic that had seemingly angered many on the march: the decision of the UK to abstain on voting for Friday’s UN resolution urging an immediate “humanitarian truce” in Gaza.

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Among the vast crowd, holding aloft a large Palestinian flag, Londoner Saad Mia, 47, maintained hope that another high turnout could influence the government.

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The home secretary, Suella Braverman, has urged police chiefs to consider interpreting the chant as an “expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world”.

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