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British street artist Banksy revealed his latest UK street artwork Friday – only for two men to run off with it just hours later while being filmed by bemused onlookers.

The installation, a traffic "Stop" sign covered with three aircraft resembling military drones, was erected at an intersection in Peckham, south London, on Friday morning.

British news website The Independent said the artwork "seemingly calls for a ceasefire in Gaza". Israel is currently waging an indiscriminate war on the Palestinian enclave that has so far killed more than 20,000 people.

An image of the installation was posted to Banksy's social media just after midday.

But shortly afterwards bystanders filmed two men taking it down, one of them running off with the sign under his arm.

"We said, 'what are you doing?' but no one really knew what to do, we sort of just watched it happen," one 26-year-old local, named Alex, told Britain's Press Association (PA).

"We were all a bit bemused... He ripped it off and ran across the road and ran away.

PA said it understood that Banksy was not behind the removal.

London's Metropolitan Police said it was "aware of an incident" that took place on Friday "in relation to the removal of a road traffic sign in Commercial Way, Peckham".

"Our local authority partners were informed at the time and have since replaced the road sign to avoid endangering road users," the police service added.

"We have since received a report of theft and enquiries are ongoing. This incident is currently being investigated by officers from the Met's Central South CID [Criminal Investigation Department]. There has been no arrest at this stage.

"We are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed. Anyone who may have information about the incident or the whereabouts of the sign is asked to call police on 101 quoting ref 5742/22dec."

British broadcaster Sky News previously quoted the council's deputy leader, Labour Party councillor Jasmine Ali, as saying the installation "should not have been removed and we'd like it back so everyone in the community can enjoy Banksy's brilliant work".

"We have reported the removal of our sign to the police to help get it back," she said.

It not the first time the famously enigmatic Banksy's works have been removed shortly after appearing.

A mural depicting a 1950s-style housewife with a swollen eye and a missing tooth seemingly shoving her male partner into a real chest freezer briefly appeared in Margate, southeast England, before being promptly removed by local officials.

It reemerged in September in the foyer of "The Art of Banksy" exhibition in central London, where it can be viewed for free.

The exhibition features other famous Banksy pieces, including "Girl With Balloon", "Flower Thrower" and "Rude Copper" as well as focusing on his other recent works addressing the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a rare nugget of information about the elusive global art phenomenon emerged last month in an unearthed 2003 BBC interview, in which he revealed his first name as "Robbie".

Note: This article was updated at 14:27 GMT on 23 December 2023 after °®Âþµº received an updated statement from the Metropolitan Police.