TWO Palestinian women in Sheffield have set up a camp outside the town hall to demand councillors declare the city an “Israeli apartheid free zone.”

The Sheffield to Palestine: Justice Now Camp was established today by Lena Mussa and Sahar Awadallah with the support of Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid.

Their demands include the prosecution of Britons who join the Israeli Defence Force which is carrying out genocide in Gaza.

They plan to maintain their protest camp for a week and on Sunday Ms Mussa will begin a hunger strike in support of their demands.

The two said they were “horrified, sick and tired of the complicity of the British government with the genocide Israel is currently carrying out on Palestinian people.”

Ms Mussa came to England 20 years ago to study and was later given asylum because she has no home to return to.

She has relatives in Gaza, including cousins she has never met.

Speaking to the Morning Star, she said: “Since October 7 the only thing in our life has been Gaza. We do not sleep. My children do not sleep. Seeing the TV it makes us feel ‘oh God’!”

Tens of thousands of Palestine campaigners are expected to resume and intensify protests this weekend to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

Up to 100 actions are set to take place on Saturday as part of a fifth national day of action.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “This Saturday, ordinary people will come out again to show that the vast majority of them support the demand for a permanent ceasefire and stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

“They will also demand the root causes are addressed: Israel’s decades-long military occupation of Palestinian territories and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.

“We demand justice for the Palestinian people – their right to self-determination and to live in freedom, dignity and with equality.”

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza is estimated to be more than 22,000. A further 7,000 to 8,000 bodies are believed to be buried under rubble.

Half the dead are believed to be children.