Vigil held outside Leamington Town Hall to remember those who have died in Palestine and Israel

The vigil, held outside the town hall and attended by about 60 people wearing black arm bands and dressed in black, also put a strong focus on Israel’s retaliation over the past year.

This has resulted in the deaths of nearly 42,200 Gazans including 17,000 children and over 11,000 women.

Some 10,000 Gazans are also missing, presumed dead and buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

There is also a spread of starvation and disease, including, for the first time in 25

years, polio in children.

All of Gaza’s universities, and most of its hospitals and schools have been destroyed and there has been a repeated displacement from their homes of 90 per cent of the Gaza

population.

.Since last October, there have been weekly vigils in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth, at which the names of children killed – Palestinian and Israeli – have been read out.

Last Saturday’s was the 51st.

The vigils have been organised by Justice for Palestinians (Leamington Spa) which was formed formed in 2009 on the initiative of some Jewish residents of Leamington and now run and supported by people of all faiths and none, including some Palestinians now resident in south Warwickshire.

The group aims to raise awareness locally of the efforts of the Palestinians to achieve full national status based on a settlement which brings peace and security to both Palestinians and Israelis.

It is also calling for an immediate and complete ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank and, now, Lebanon.

Justice for Palestinians is also running a series of public meetings under the heading Pathways to Peace.

The latest was held on October 2 at St Peters Church Hall, in Dormer Place and attended by 70 people.

They heard talks by ex-MP Richard Burden, former chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Marwan Yaghi – a human rights lawyer attached to the UK-Palestine diplomatic mission in London - and Louise Regan, vhair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The talks were followed by a lively Q&A session.

For more information search Justice for Palestinians – Leamington Spa on Facebook or click here.