Thousands of pairs of shoes were lined up in a public square in Almere’s city in the Netherlands as a tribute to the more than 18,000 children killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The demonstration was organized by ‘Plant een Oliifboom’ (Plant an Olive Tree), and was the twelfth commemoration since October 7, 2023, following Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza.
The footage showed various pairs of children’s shoes, some with toys inside. One demonstrator was also shown reading the names of victims of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The organizer of the demonstration, Esther van der Most, said: “We are saying that there are 18,000 shoes, that is the official number at the moment, but we know that many more children have been killed.”
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“They are buried under the rubble, they have not yet been found or registered, because the system is no longer able to handle it all,” she added.
According to UNICEF, more than 50,000 children have been either killed or injured since the beginning of the conflict.
“I’m angry that we have to do this again and again,” she said. “These shoes represent children, and it hasn’t stopped.”
The demonstration comes as global anger against the Israeli military operation in Gaza has intensified. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since March, according to reports.
