A memorial event was held in the central Markt Square in Den Bosch on Sunday, to commemorate Palestinian children and journalists who were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, Anadolu reports.
Photographs and names of journalists killed in the attacks were displayed in the square, and thousands of children’s shoes were placed across the area as part of the commemoration.
The Plant an Olive Tree Foundation organized the event, during which volunteers distributed brochures and informed passersby about the situation in Gaza.
Esther van der Most, director of the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation, told Anadolu that the gathering was held to advocate for Palestinians’ right to live in safety, grow old with dignity, and lead their lives freely and without fear.
Van der Most said that “genocide” is taking place not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank. She questioned how a ceasefire could be discussed while people are still being killed every day and cited the recent death of a seven-month-old baby named Sam in the West Bank.
READ: Israeli army kills 6 Palestinians, including child, in attacks across Gaza
She added that hundreds of children had been killed there over the past year and said the violence needed to stop.
Van der Most noted that they were commemorating not only children killed by Israel but also journalists who had been killed, saying their number had now exceeded 300. She said that silencing journalists meant an attempt to prevent the truth from reaching the outside world, adding that they would continue to make the truth heard.
Calling on the Dutch government to act, Van der Most urged authorities to impose sanctions and end what she described as preferential treatment for Israel, expressing anger at her government and arguing that cooperation should not continue while Palestinians are being killed.
Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, nearly 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 injured, while about 90 percent of the territory’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.
READ: Netherlands, Iceland join genocide case against Israel
