THE HAGUE / ISTANBUL

Over 100,000 people rallied in The Hague on Sunday to denounce the Dutch government’s stance on Israel and the war in Gaza, in what organizers say was the country’s largest protest in 20 years.

The demonstration, which took place at Malieveld Square, was coordinated by a wide alliance of international and local NGOs under the banner “Draw the Red Line for Gaza.”

According to official records, more than 70,000 people attended the demonstration, while Oxfam Novib, one of the organizing NGOs, reported the number as 100,000.

Speakers at the protest emphasized that hundreds of people have died of starvation in Gaza since March. They accused the Dutch government of remaining silent in the face of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A statement on Amnesty International’s website stressed that despite Israel’s repeated violations of the laws of war, the Schoof government has still not “drawn a red line” and continues to refuse to act to end impunity.

It was noted that meetings held in April between some NGOs and the government on these issues had yielded no results.

Marching behind a banner reading “Draw a Red Line for Gaza,” the crowd chanted slogans such as “Schoof government is deaf,” “Shame on the government, your hands are bloody,” “The Netherlands pays, Israel bombs,” “Free Palestine,” “There’s no peace under occupation,” “Stop the genocide,” and “Stop killing children.”

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.