The “Plant an Olive Tree” Foundation organized a memorial event in Maastricht, Netherlands, on Saturday to honor the victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, specifically commemorating Palestinian children and journalists who died due to the bombings.

The memorial was held in front of the historic Saint Servaas Church, where photos and names of journalists killed in Israeli attacks were displayed.

Participants placed thousands of children’s shoes in the square to honor the child victims in Gaza, while reciting the names and ages of children who lost their lives due to the Israeli extermination war on the Gaza Strip.

Volunteers also distributed informational leaflets explaining the situation in Gaza.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Esther van der Most, director of the foundation, said this memorial is the 15th of its kind for children in the Netherlands and the second for Palestinian journalists.

Van der Most emphasized that what happened in Gaza was not a sudden event on October 7, 2023, pointing out that the decades-long Israeli occupation is the root of the tragedy.

She added, “Justice will not be achieved unless occupation and colonialism end,” pledging to continue activism “until Palestine is fully liberated.”

With American support, Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza since October 8, 2023, lasting two years, resulting in 67,682 martyrs and 170,033 injured, most of them children and women, and a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.