A public demonstration will be held in Swindon’s town centre next week to show "solidarity" with the citizens of Palestine.

More than 1,500 have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes following Saturday's attacks by Hamas, which killed 1,300 people.

It comes after Israel warned the 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to leave the area before the weekend, with speculation a ground offensive will be carried out.

The UN has urged Israel to withdraw this order and warned of "devastating humanitarian consequences”.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine escalated when Hamas fighters kidnapped at least 150 people and took them into Gaza during attacks on Israel at the weekend that killed 1,300 people.

The Swindon Palestine Solidarity group says it is concerned about innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire.

Members of the group will gather outside the old Morrisons in Regent Circus from 5.30pm to 7pm on Wednesday, October 18.

A spokesperson said: “We do this from a framework of supporting the application of international law and principles of human rights.

“These principles also lead us to stress with utmost vehemence that our grievance is with the actions of the Israeli state and those governments that are complicit with its crimes.

“We condemn absolutely any attempt to victimise communities in Britain in this context.

“Gaza, with a population of over two million – half of whom are children – has been subjected to an Israeli-imposed blockade for the last 16 years.

“This collective punishment of an entire population is in absolute defiance of international law. It is in this context that we must measure the response of British political leaders.

“Those who rush to condemn the violence of Palestinians have no moral foundation to do so while they support the maintenance of the present system of apartheid: the root cause of this violence.

“We act from a sincere wish to see an end to all violence, especially violence against civilians, but we recognise that this will never be achieved unless the root causes of that violence are addressed.

“We do so from a foundation of our enduring support for the right of the Palestinian people to freedom, self-determination and return.”

Meanwhile on Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Israel has “every right to defend itself” from Hamas attacks but stressed that civilian safety must be “paramount in our minds”.