Israel-Gaza peace mural in east London defaced

The mural was designed by the charity Circle of Toys who send toys to children in need

An Israel-Gaza peace mural painted on a street in east London has been defaced 16 days after it was unveiled.

It was created by the charity Circle of Toys, which said it wanted to highlight "the true victims of war" - children.

Located on Old Street, Shoreditch it depicts two girls - one in a headscarf waving an Israeli flag and another waving a Palestinian flag.

The charity said the graffiti showed "even more the importance of shifting the focus away from political debate".

The painting was unveiled on 10 February.

Circle of Toys began in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the goal of sending toys to children caught up in conflict.

It recently established a base in the Middle East and hopes to encourage people to donate toys to children in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The graffiti reads 'Palestinian children killed since 07.09.23 11,500' and 'Funded by your taxes. Murder is murder'.

The spray paint alludes to 7 September 2023, which is likely to be a reference to 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, which started the war.

Israel says more than 1,200 civilians were killed in the attack and more than 250 people were taken hostage.

In response, Israel conducted significant retaliatory attacks on Gaza, both on the ground and from the air.

The Hamas-run health ministry claims the death toll in Gaza now stands at more than 29,500 and continues to rise.

Israel has also forcefully displaced more than 85% of Gaza's population, sparking a humanitarian crisis in the region.

• Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained

• How Hamas built a force to attack Israel on 7 October

The mural on Old Street, Shoreditch was unveiled two weeks ago

Tensions have flared in London since the conflict began.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has previously said he was "proud" to support Israel in its "long war" against Hamas, which he branded "pure evil".

There has also been a number of pro-Palestinian marches through London and last November, a war memorial was defaced with anti-Israel graffiti.

Hate crimes against both Muslim and Jewish communities have increased substantially across the capital in the aftermath of 7 October attack.

Following news of the vandalism, the founder of Circle of Toys, Arthur Corvin Powells said "this reaction shows even more the importance of shifting the focus away from the political debate and instead onto the future for the children".

The charity added that the mural may be cleaned or re-painted and it was in talks with the mural artists to decide its next steps.

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