V A public silent protest for the hostages still held by Hamas was forced to cancel over safety concerns due to an anti-Israel demonstration taking place at the same time and location.

The vigil, which was due to take place on Wednesday in Parliament Square, was organised by the Board of Deputies. The gathering occurs twice a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and has been ongoing for several weeks.

Despite the number of volunteers attending being kept to a minimum and participants being discouraged from bringing Israeli flags or singing chants, concerns over participants’ safety forced the Board to cancel the event.

In a message sent out to volunteers on Tuesday, the Board said: “Due to the Parliamentary vote about the situation in Israel and Gaza taking place on Wednesday, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is organising a protest in Parliament Square calling for a ceasefire.

“Due to the sheer scale of the PSC’s last protest outside of Parliament when a similar vote occurred previously, we do not think it would be safe for us to hold our vigil this Wednesday. We are saddened that this is the outcome and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Around 250 people were abducted by Hamas on October 7 and taken into Gaza. Around 130 remain in captivity.