Netherlands commemorates Palestinian children killed in Gaza war

By Murat Karadag

A commemorative event was held Sunday in the Netherlands for Palestinian children killed in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Around 14,000 pairs of children's shoes were laid out in Vredenburg Square in the city of Utrecht by the Olive Tree Planting Foundation to symbolize the tragic toll of the conflict.

Every 10 minutes, pairs of shoes were added to the display, symbolizing the alarming frequency with which children are killed in the region.

On Friday, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the number of children under the age of two suffering from acute malnutrition in the northern Gaza Strip had doubled within a month.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar