On Thursday 20 September, I was concerned for the safety of Salama and his family in Gaza. Yesterday, NOS news reported that on Wednesday 19 November, Israeli bombings on Gaza killed 25 people, according to the Palestinian authorities. Fortunately, I soon received a reply from Salama. Everything was fine with them, considering the circumstances. Salama is the coordinator of Peace SOS Gaza, and they are busy distributing drinking water to the people of Gaza. A truck has delivered drinking water for between 700 and 1,000 people. I was able to watch it live and see that the children in Gaza are also helping.
After distributing the drinking water, Salama wrote to me: A tent near us was bombed, killing a woman and two children.
Horrific… It is terrible that there are still regular Israeli attacks in Gaza… Last weekend, Salama told me about the miserable conditions in Gaza.
Unfortunately, a severe weather system came and destroyed our tent, tearing the tarpaulins and breaking the wood…For the past two days we have been suffering day and night as a result of the strong winds. Please remember us in your prayers.
He sent me a few videos of a barren plain, where a tent probably once stood, but where now only a few belongings remain. I also saw a video of his children in another tent. I got the impression that someone else has offered them shelter. But what a miserable situation, living in a tent in winter that has also been blown away. Little to eat and drink, no medical facilities. I feel for them. With Peace SOS, we support Peace SOS Gaza to do what we can, even if we can only help them a little. Still, it feels as if the help is coming thanks to the efforts of Peace SOS Gaza and with God’s help.
On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution proposed by the US that places Gaza under the control of a US-led body, the so-called ‘Board of Peace’ (Peace Council), and authorises the deployment of an international force in the Palestinian territory, which will operate under the supervision of the US military. A few days ago, on Tuesday 18 November, Salama started talking about this UN resolution on Gaza.
We want the violence to end by any means. The violence we have experienced since 2006 has made our lives miserable. We have spent our lives waiting to live in peace.
When Salama asks me what I think of the UN resolution on Gaza, I reply that I need to find out more about the resolution. And that I think priority should be given to allowing large-scale humanitarian aid and supplies needed for the reconstruction of Gaza to enter. And that I hope there will be no fighting between Hamas and the international forces.
I look at the statements of other peace activists. Medea Benjamin, the founder of the American peace organisation Code Pink, always has a clear vision on peace issues, in my opinion. In its statement, Code Pink does not mince words. “CODEPINK condemns the recent UN Security Council resolution approving the United States’ so-called “International Stabilization Force” for Gaza. The resolution, while disguised as a peaceful and humanitarian proposal, is in reality a blueprint for the internationalization of the Israeli occupation and a complete denial of Palestinian self-determination.”
The article entitled UN Security Council collapses published on the Peace site (Vredessite.nl) managed by the Dutch peace movement Pais, points out that the International Court of Justice previously ruled that the Israeli occupation is illegal under international law. According to the court, Israel must withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories, restore the territories to their pre-occupation status and compensate the Palestinian population. The Peace site concludes that the resolution now adopted by the UN Security Council appears to be at odds with international law and the ruling of the International Court of Justice. The UN Security Council has succumbed to pressure from the United States. International law lies in tatters in Gaza.
I find it difficult to comprehend. The United States is a major financier of Israel, and therefore also of the genocide in Gaza. And now there will be a Board of Peace that will govern Gaza and be chaired by President Trump. The International Criminal Court has also issued an arrest warrant for President Netanyahu, his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
On 19 November, the Peace site also reported that Ayman Ghraieb, a peace activist in the occupied West Bank, had been arrested. He documents violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians living in the West Bank. He has been placed in “administrative detention”. As the Peace site points out, “administrative detention” is jargon for abduction and imprisonment without a court verdict. The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem reported in June 2025 that 3,565 Palestinians were in administrative detention. I believe that Ayman Ghraieb and all other people who have not committed a crime should be released. And, of course, there should be no torture in prisons, and prisoners should be well cared for. I am also opposed to the death penalty. We should cherish life.
As far as I am concerned, part of the solution for peace lies close to ordinary people themselves. Let local peace-loving people take the lead and let us support them. Or, in the words of Professor Séverine Autesserre: put local people in the driver’s seat. Provide humanitarian aid to all people who need it. Rebuild the whole of Gaza for all Palestinians. Salama writes:
All we wish and hope for is to live a dignified life, for my children to live dignified lives, to be successful people, and to contribute good to the world. I didn’t know much about the Security Council Resolution, but I hope it will bring peace to the region.
May Salama’s words ring loud and clear. Let us take care of each other and nature. Hopefully, we will soon see a world where all children can play.
Author: May-May Meijer
Photo: Streetview in Gaza November 2025
Note: This article was published in Dutch under the title: Al heel ons leven wachten we op vrede in Gaza on the Joop BNNVARA website on 20th November 2025.