Hundreds of students and staff from universities in London and elsewhere in the U.K. joined protests demanding an end to the war in Gaza on Tuesday, defying warnings from Britain's prime minister that such demonstrations risk fueling antisemitism.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had warned protesters that marching on the anniversary of the Oct 7 attacks were "un-British" and disrespectful.

Many of those rallying on Tuesday carried flags and placards bearing pro-Palestinian slogans.

"If you think that me protesting for human rights of a group of people is offensive towards you, then that is your problem," said Muhlisa Husainova, 19-year-old student.

"We're not protesting to hate any other group of people."

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack during a major Jewish holiday.

Most hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90% of the population of some 2 million and caused a humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.

The conflict has sent ripples across the region, bringing Israel into combat with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and militant groups in Iraq and Syria along with their patron, Iran, which suffered major losses in a 12-day war with Israel in June.

AP video by Kwiyeon Ha