Teddy bears given out at pro-Palestinian rally in Preston

Teddy bears have been laid out at a Preston rally to mark the deaths of Palestinian children in the Gaza war.

Children read out names of some of the 3,900 youngsters the Hamas-run health ministry said had been killed in Israeli attacks since 7 October.

The recent violence follows the killing of 1,400 people in Israel by the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Since then 9,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli bombardment, Palestinian officials say.

Teddy bears were given out at the rally to highlight the deaths of children in the war. The rally's organisers are raising funds for the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity.

Soft toys were also attached to the Foreign Office in London last week by other groups that called on the UK government to withdraw military support for Israel, amid calls for a ceasefire.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously said Israel has the "right to defend itself" after suffering a "brutal terrorist attack" at the hands of Hamas.

On Saturday, a family from Blackpool who had been in Gaza said they were "all safe" after they were allowed into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Stephanie Abuaassi, who is married to a Palestinian man and has four children, previously told the BBC they experienced "bombing and planes flying over us, buildings destroyed, all sorts of horrible things".

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