Pro-Palestinian students in the US have defied an order by university officials to dismantle a tent camp set up to protest Israel's war in Gaza or face suspension.

College authorities at Columbia University in New York, sent students a letter on Monday demanding they sign a form agreeing to obey university policies until June 2025 or an earlier graduation, if they wish to finish the term in good standing. If they failed to comply by 2pm, local time, the letter said, they would be suspended, pending further investigation and would not finish the term, the note said.

But those at the camp, now in its second week, voted nearly unanimously to stay put, NBC, Sky's US partner, said. Around 2.45pm, protesters were seen marching on the quad and chanting "Disclose! Divest! We will not slow, we will not rest!'.