CROWDS gathered in front of Chester Town Hall on Saturday (October 28) as part of a candlelit vigil for Gaza.

The vigil, which was organised by Chester Friends of Palestine, saw around 50 people in attendance. The organisation has called for a ceasefire to prevent the killing of further innocent people.

In a Facebook post, Chester Friends of Gaza said: "We do believe that every life is precious, and every loss is tragic.

"We all have witnessed the suffering of civilians, children, elderly, families in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and we all must call for a ceasefire now and stop the genocide in Gaza."

Hamas launched a horrific assault on Israel from Gaza on October 7, with more than 1,400 people killed and at least 239 taken as hostages.

Since then, retaliatory strikes by Israel have killed more than 8,700 Palestinians within Gaza according to Hamas health ministers.

Last night (October 31), Israeli airstrikes killed dozens within Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, their intended target a key Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari.

It is thought that 88 injured Palestinians and around 500 foreign national will be allowed to leave Gaza for the first time since October 7, as Israel opens the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt.

Isreal's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected calls for a ceasefire saying: "That will not happen. The Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war."

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have called for a pause in the fighting to allow for aid to reach civilians - but say that they continue to support Israel, who has said that it is expanding its ground operations in Gaza.

Entering Gaza would mean house-to-house fighting which carries immense risks for the more than two million people who reside within the area.

A static protest for Gaza will take place outside Chester Town Hall on Northgate Street on Sunday, November 5 from 12pm until 1pm.