At least 18,000 pairs of children’s shoes were placed in Stadhuisplein (City Hall Square) in Almere, Netherlands, as a powerful memorial for the Palestinian children killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023.
The tribute was part of the 12th annual commemoration organised by the Dutch group Plant an Olive Tree (Plant een Olijfboom) on Sunday, June 2, the Anadolu Agency reported.
Images and videos of the display went viral on social media, capturing rows of children’s shoes, teddy bears, and banners reading “Let Gaza Live”, arranged across the public square. During the event, the names and ages of the children who lost their lives were read aloud.
Watch the video here
Volunteers handed out brochures and spoke with passers-by, offering information about the situation in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Esther van der Most, Director of the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation, told Anadolu,
“We have organised similar displays across the Netherlands. It is unacceptable that this continues and that we must still draw attention to the killing of children. Israel must be stopped. This cannot go on. We will keep fighting until this ends.”
“The Dutch government isn’t doing enough. The only effective solution now is strong sanctions. Diplomatic efforts alone are no longer sufficient. This isn’t just about the past year and a half — the Israeli regime has enjoyed decades of impunity, leading to what is now a genocide of the Palestinian people. Historically, the Dutch state has been on the wrong side, and that must change.”
Van der Most also expressed hope that such commemorative events would no longer be needed, “Even if the bombings in Gaza were to stop today, our struggle will continue until Palestine is entirely free.”
This is not the first such initiative. In March 2024, 14,000 pairs of children’s shoes were arranged in Vredenburg Square, Utrecht, in protest against the war on Gaza.
Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,530 Palestinians in Gaza, including over 17,400 children, and injured at least 133,642 others.
