Tens of thousands of demonstrators in London marched from the Israeli embassy in Kensington to Downing Street. Others protested in dozens of cities around the UK, including Birmingham, Cardiff and Edinburgh, as Palestinian officials announced the death toll had passed 1,000
In London, the protesters caused traffic jams around Hyde Park and the West End as they marched from the Israeli embassy to Whitehall, berating David Cameron and chanting: "This is not a war. This is not a demonstration. This is a massacre."
The mood was staunchly pro-Palestinian. Placards included slogans such as "Stop the killing" and "Free Palestine", while the protesters chanted "Israel is a terror state", "Gaza don't you cry, we will never let you die", and "Allahu Akbar".
Christina Stead, 48, from Kensington, said: "Israel is trying to exterminate the people of Palestine. That makes me feel quite helpless. I think everyone should participate."
Lesley Hoskins, a historian from north London, was in the crowd with her children and grandchildren. "The situation is appalling. We are here because people need to know it's important so that the British and Israeli government can't just go on thinking this is OK," she said. "I'm not particularly political, but children and families have been affected by this so we are not going to sit by and ignore it.
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