THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of protesters, including families with children, gathered in the Netherlands on Sunday to oppose Israel’s siege of Gaza and the Dutch government’s policy on the war.
The second major rally in a month drew an estimated 150,000 people to The Hague, according to organisers. Participants dressed in red to create a “red line” against ongoing Israel attacks and alleged war crimes against Palestinians.
Demonstrators sang, held speeches and marched past the International Court of Justice, which is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Last year the court ordered Israel to halt a military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and allow access for humanitarian aid.
Israel rejects allegations of war crimes and genocide, and says its campaign is in self defence, targeting Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The war in Gaza began 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants raided Israel and took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s military campaign since has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is widespread.
In May, now caretaker Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp asked the European Union to reconsider cooperation agreements with Israel. Demonstrators on Sunday called for the caretaker government to speak out against what they said were ongoing violations of international law by Israel.
The Dutch government, which collapsed on June 3, has so far refrained from outright criticism of Israel. Anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders, whose far right party led the last government, has repeatedly voiced unwavering support for Israel.
(Reporting by Piroschka van de Wouw. Writing by Anthony Deutsch. Editing by Mark Potter)
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