Pro-Palestine activists blockaded the entrance to a defence contractor's Southampton factory, sitting in front of the entrance and holding shrouded babies to protest the rising death toll in Gaza.

Protestors from laid out large Palestine flags and cloths that said "stop arming Israel" as they blocked the factory gates.

They held babies in their laps as a "reminder of the lost generation that is being wiped out by Israel's genocidal aggression".

Protestors covered the pavement in signs and took photos as Leonardo staff members were forced to park their cars elsewhere.

The protestors said that they returned on April 3 "as the death toll in Gaza to more than 1,100 since Israel broke the ceasefire last month".

Leonardo is one of the UK's leading aerospace companies and one of the biggest suppliers of defence and security equipment to the UK Ministry of Defence.

Its Southampton factory manufactures InfraRed (IR) detectors and Thermal Imaging (TI) sensors which play "a crucial role in supporting military, security and civil clients."

Unicef reported on March 31 that the breakdown of the ceasefire has seen at least 322 children die in the Gaza Strip since fighting restarted.

READ MORE: Pro-Palestine activists block entrance to Leonardo Southampton

Speaking to the Echo, Mona Lisa, from activist group Shut Down Leonardo Southampton, said the group blocked vehicles from entering the factory for "just about 2 hours".

"We did a visual display to commemorate all of the children and their families who have been murdered during the ongoing genocide," she said.

"We took quite a visual approach this morning to try to visualise and show the gravity of the situation. 

"The continued message to Leonardo, as we've been saying over a year now at weekly vigils and actions, the message is simple. Stop producing any technology or any weapons that are being sold or transferred to the Israel apartheid state."

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A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: "We were called at 7.38am today (Thursday 3 April) to reports of a protest taking place on First Avenue in Southampton.

"Police were not required to attend."

Leonardo were also contacted for comment.