More than 100 Britons have been evacuated from Gaza and the government hopes more will be able to leave, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has said, as he urged the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Reuters reports.

“Over 100 UK nationals were able to cross out of Gaza into Egypt through the Rafah crossing. It is very disappointing that the crossing was closed yesterday,” Dowden told the BBC.

“We are engaging very closely and we’re hopeful that the crossing will reopen again today enabling further UK nationals to leave,” he said.

Asked about comments by interior minister Suella Braverman that pro-Palestinian protests in London were “hate marches”, he said that there had been hateful conduct in some slogans that had been chanted, especially ones that can be interpreted as denying the right of Israel to exist.

“What the other people attending those marches need to ask themselves is: are they inadvertently standing alongside those people that are preaching hate,” he said.

Dowden added he had “grave concerns” over whether it was appropriate for more marches to take place next weekend when commemorations for Armistice Day — the anniversary of the end of World War One — are also planned.