Huge crowds outside BBC at Media City to protest war in Gaza

Huge crowds have gathered outside the BBC headquarters in Salford calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Organisers say 'thousands' of people attended the protest led by children who left toys, clothes and shoes at Media City on Saturday afternoon (February 24).

Children were encouraged to attend the demonstration to highlight the 'horrific' numbers of young lives lost in Gaza. Palestinians from Gaza displayed photos of their family members who were killed by Israel's bombings, including in previous conflicts in 2014 and 2009.

Manchester Palestine Action, which organised the protest, also wanted to highlight media coverage of the conflict which they claim has 'underplayed' the extent of suffering in Gaza. It comes more than four months after the fighting between Israel and Hamas began.

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The latest escalation in the Middle East conflict came after a deadly attack by Hamas which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel on October 7. The Palestinian group which controls the Gaza strip and is considered a terrorist organisation by the UK and other Western governments, also took hundreds of hostages including children, women and elderly people, some of whom have now been released.

The death toll in Gaza now stands at around 30,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Many of those killed are children.

Nick Beesley from Manchester Palestine Action said: "In Manchester we are standing with all those in Gaza beneath the bombs and the rubble left by British government and media who are not calling for an immediate ceasefire."

This is the 24th week of protest in Manchester since the war in Gaza began. The latest demonstration involved children displaying