Keep applying pressure: Several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in central London on Saturday, on the eve of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which they hope will bring more than a "temporary respite."

"We want to be optimistic" about this cease-fire, and "we need to be in the street to ensure that the cease-fire holds," stated Sophie Mason, a 50-year-old Londoner and regular participant in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the British capital. The truce, set to begin Sunday morning, includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas in Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid.

The planned march turned into a static gathering on Whitehall, the main avenue in the government district, as police rejected the route proposed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that passed too close to a synagogue. Participants held signs reading, "Stop Arming Israel" or "Gaza, Stop the Massacre." Some chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

"We must apply pressure to ensure this cease-fire is respected" and that international aid reaches Gaza, said Ben, a 36-year-old trade unionist who declined to give his last name. For Anisah Qausher, a student, the ceasefire "comes late and is insufficient. While she hopes it will 'provide a temporary respite," she believed "much more needs to be done," mentioning the challenge of rebuilding Gaza.

The police, present in large numbers, announced on X that they made at least seven arrests. A counter-demonstration with around a hundred people waving Israeli flags took place not far from the gathering.

The Oct. 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Of the 251 people abducted that day, 94 are still hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom are dead according to the military.

At least 46,899 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's data deemed reliable by the U.N.

According to the U.N., the war has caused an "unprecedented level of destruction in recent history" in the besieged Palestinian territory.