Campaigners calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to arms sales to Israel gathered in Kendal this weekend. 

Having been protesting outside the town hall for a number of weeks, the South Lakeland and Lancaster District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament met on Saturday.

This week, they distributed leaflets produced by members of the organisation 'Women in Black' which was founded by Israeli women in 1986 to call for peace.

Maria Gardner, one of the campaigners, said: "Israel's relentless attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere have become nothing more than attempted genocide.

"The Israeli Defence Force is engaged in grossly disproportionate and unjustifiable collective punishment of innocent civilians."

The Westmorland Gazette: The campaigners handed out leaflets to shoppers in and around Stricklandgate on SaturdayThe campaigners handed out leaflets to shoppers in and around Stricklandgate on Saturday (Image: South Lakeland and Lancaster District CND)

Mrs Gardner, regardless of the weather, has been taking her mobility scooter to the protests and campaigning for several weeks in a row.

She was joined by the likes of Philip Gilligan, who added: "We know that at least 11,500 children have already been killed by Israel in its indiscriminate attacks on Gaza."

The leaflets highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and offered 'key facts' about the situation in Palestine and Israel since 1948, including four maps illustrating the accelerating encroachment of Israel into Palestinian lands between 1946 and 2012. 

The Westmorland Gazette: The group have been dedicating a number of recent weekends to the causeThe group have been dedicating a number of recent weekends to the cause (Image: South Lakeland and Lancaster District CND)

In the days following the most recent protest, The Prince of Wales has echoed similar sentiments by calling for fighting to end 'as soon as possible'.

HRH Prince William said: "I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7.

"Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home."

Labour has also recently shifted its stance on the war, asking for an 'immediate humanitarian ceasefire'.

"We want the fighting to stop now and we also have to be clear on how we prevent the violence starting up again," a party spokesperson added.

"There will be no lasting peace without a diplomatic process that delivers a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state."