Just before the Internet and telephone connection to Gaza went down, I asked the family in Gaza if they had a message for the world. This was Salama’s message:

“We hope the genocide and killing will stop soon, the famine will stop, the war will end and reconstruction will take place. We want to live like other people in the world, far away from violence, killing, destruction and hunger. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and it is getting worse every day, and the death toll is rising right now.”

A sixth food distribution took place on June 3. Unlike the chaos of last time, it went well. Salama has since established a Peace SOS team Gaza. That is, the volunteers now wear vests with the Peace SOS logo. That was on their initiative. Unfortunately, after hearing that the food distribution went well, we soon received news that a young volunteer was injured by the bombing. We hope he recovers soon.

As if the genocide in Gaza were not bad enough, news came through this morning that Israel had attacked Iran. Iranian media report dozens dead and hundreds wounded, which is very sad. The Dutch government speaks of “alarming attacks” and calls on all parties to “refrain from further attacks and retaliation. Although that reassures me somewhat, it would only really help if all countries stopped supplying weapons to warring factions in the Middle East. The regime in Iran, which has enough that is debatable, is concerned about the fate of the Palestinians. And I understand that. Stopping the genocide in Gaza, first of all, is a humanitarian duty. And second, it also contributes to better relations with Iran. It is primarily civilians who are the victims of war.

Minister Veldkamp boasts of his success in maintaining talks with Israel. On the one hand, that is smart, because Peace SOS has made several attempts to enter into talks with the Israeli ambassador and they have been continually rejected. On the other hand, you might wonder what Minister Veldkamp’s quiet diplomacy is all about, if the Netherlands keeps supplying weapons to Israel and the genocide in Gaza keeps thundering on. And what is going on in Gaza now, with Internet connections and telephony largely down since yesterday?

The Netherlands should at least stop supplying weapons to Israel and urge Israel and Egypt to open the borders with Gaza for humanitarian aid. Real humanitarian aid, given to everyone with love and not where people have to fight for food, accompanied by gunfire. For example, humanitarian aid from the United Nations and international aid organizations.

I call on all governments to cherish life and to treat prisoners humanely. That also brings me to Mark Rennes and the other two volunteers from the aid ship the Madleen that sailed to Gaza to bring relief supplies. As a result of the Israeli attack on Iran, the volunteers have to stay in the Israeli prison longer. As the NGO Plant an Olive Tree also suggests, the Dutch government should advocate that Mark and the other volunteers be able to go wherever they want, allowing them to travel over land to another country, for example, and return to the Netherlands from there. Or that they can stay in a hotel instead of in prison.

My thoughts are also with the other brave and peaceful people who are now walking to the Gaza border in the Global March on Gaza. Many of them have been sent back to the Netherlands, but others are still walking on to Gaza. May they all stay safe and contribute to the peaceful opening of the border with Egypt and Gaza so that humanitarian aid can re-enter Gaza. “Medicine not rockets,” reads the protest sign of one of the participants. And I agree wholeheartedly.

I hope that a cease-fire in Gaza, humanitarian aid, and the release of the hostages will happen in the near future. And that there may be de-escalation between Israel and Iran and that the lives of ordinary civilians become a priority, and that we may all live in peace.

Let us lovingly care for each other and nature.

For: A World In Which All Children Can Play.

May-May Meijer

Chairperson, Peace SOS

Photo: The Peace SOS team in Gaza distributing food in Gaza.

Note: This article was published in Dutch under the title: Bericht uit Gaza: “We willen zoals de andere mensen in de wereld leven, ver weg van geweld en honger” on the Joop BNNVARA website on 14th June, 2025.