Multiple pro-Palestine protests, peace marches through Netherlands

Thousands of people participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in The Hague on Sunday afternoon. The police estimate that there were 6,000 demonstrators. People also took to the streets in Venlo and Amsterdam. In Venlo, it was also a pro-Palestinian demonstration. In Amsterdam, a peace march started at 4:00 p.m. from Dam Square to Museumple. There were also silent marches for peace in the Palestinian areas in Eindhoven on Sunday evening.

In The Hauge, the demonstrators protested for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The protest, organized by the Palestine Emergency Committee, was uneventful, the police said.

According to Omroep Venlo, over a hundred people gathered in the Limburg city on Sunday afternoon. The demonstrators marched through the city center and carried Palestinian flags, among other things.

The peace march in Amsterdam was organized by a group of women who say they are “deeply affected” by the “situation in the Middle East,” according to the group’s website. With the peace march, they wanted to convey the message of being against dehumanization “anywhere.” Parool reported that Dam Square was “packed” just before the start of the march. According to the newspaper, alderman Marjolein Moorman, among others, participated.

Foreign Affairs restores contact with Dutch in Gaza Strip

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has restored contact with most Dutch people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after being unable to reach them on Saturday. According to a Ministry spokesperson, contactability to and from Gaza appears to be improving.

The Ministry will keep trying to make contact with the rest of the Dutch in Gaza in the coming days. The spokesperson reported that the Ministry will inform the people in Gaza about options to leave the area as soon as information becomes available. “Unfortunately, that is not the case at the moment. But the Netherlands continues to put pressure on the parties involved.”

Earlier this week, the Ministry had daily contact with 23 people with a Dutch passport, residence papers, or immediate family. On Saturday, the Dutch representation in Ramallah tried to contact them but couldn’t. The Israeli army expanded its ground operations in the Palestinian territory on Friday evening.