Police have arrested protesters in London for supporting Palestine Action, which was banned under UK anti-terror laws on Friday.

Officers moved in at Parliament Square, saying the group is now proscribed and showing support is a criminal offence. Campaign group Defend Our Juries said 27 people, including a priest and several health workers, were arrested under the Terrorism Act while holding signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

The ban makes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying items linked to the group an offence, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.

The government pushed through the proscription after Palestine Action activists broke into an air force base in southern England, spraying two aircraft with red paint and causing damage worth about 7 million pounds ($9.55 million, €8.11 million).

Four activists have been remanded in custody over the incident. Palestine Action says the ban is an attack on free speech. A court challenge to block the proscription failed on Friday.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says two American aid workers have been injured in a grenade attack at a food distribution site in Gaza.

The US- and Israeli-backed group said both workers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are now stable and receiving treatment.

According to GHF, two attackers threw grenades at the Americans as a food handout for thousands of Gazans was wrapping up. The group, which started aid operations in Gaza in May, uses private US military contractors for security at its sites.

It remains unclear who carried out the attack. The Israeli military later accused “terrorist organizations” of trying to sabotage aid distribution in Gaza.

The GHF began handing out food packages in Gaza at the end of May. The United Nations and various international aid organizations have criticized the foundation, saying its delivery model is neither impartial nor neutral.

Israel is considering how to respond to Hamas’s positive reaction to the latest US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.

Israeli media reported on Saturday that the Israeli government had received the Palestinian group’s response on the Gaza ceasefire proposal with details currently being examined.

The Security Cabinet is set to meet later on Saturday after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown, according to Israeli media reports.

Sources in the Gaza Strip say that dozens of people have been killed since early on Saturday morning as Israel prosecutes its offensive in the territory.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least 50 people had been killed in airstrikes and other incidents, with many casualties reported among those desperately queuing for food.

Figures varied, with the AP news agency placing the number killed at 24 — 14 in airstrikes and 10 while seeking food
aid.

The AFP news agency put the total number killed at 32, including 8 who had been killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution hub in southern Gaza.

Gazan authorities reported at least 70 people have been killed in the territory by the Israeli military in the last 24 hours. These were said to include 23 people near aid distribution sites.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza since the October 7 terror attacks has killed more than X Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry. 

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and multiple humanitarian organizations consider the casualty numbers broadly reliable.

Welcome to our latest updates from Gaza, Israel and the wider Middle East.

As Israel is studying a US-led plan for a ceasefire, the civilian death toll in Gaza was climbing again on Saturday. A proportion of the casualties were among those seeking food in the enclave.

Meawhile, two US workers were injured in an attack on the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in what the group said was a targeted attack.

We’ll be providing updates on these stories and others from the region right here.