Netherlands and EU: stop genocide now
On Tuesday morning, Salama, the husband of the family from Gaza wrote to me:
‘my children are still crying from hunger.’
I thought about that, and how bad that must be. That as parents you want nothing more than for your children to be happy, and that you have been in the middle of a war situation for almost two years and cannot give your children enough to eat.
On Tuesday night, Salama wrote that they were surrounded by intense bombing. A relative had been injured in his foot and he had gone to hospital with him. There was such a huge number of injured people that he could not be operated on immediately. Late on Tuesday night, bombings took place next to Salama’s house. He wrote to me on Wednesday afternoon:
“Thank God we are fine…
Despite the panic yesterday.
My children woke up screaming in fear. The explosion was very close..
My uncle was also injured in his house.
Yesterday was very bloody.
Bombing and killing were everywhere and at all times.
The sounds of explosions did not stop throughout the night.
The area we live in is classified as a safe zone.”
Fortunately, Salama and his family were unharmed apart from the psychological problems they suffered as a result of the war that has been going on for almost two years. How terrible this is for Salama and his family. He therefore concludes, and as many have also read, but how painful it must be to experience this in real life:
“Yet, there is no safety anywhere.”
Much to my dismay, the emergency debate in the House of Representatives requested yesterday on the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza has been rejected. Genocide is taking place in Gaza and the Netherlands is supporting Israel politically, economically and militarily. However, the Lower House is not returning from recess.
I keep repeating that humanitarian aid and a permanent ceasefire must come soon, even though it is actually already far too late and at least 59,000 people have been killed and many thousands buried in the rubble. According to Al Jazeera, at least 100 people have died of starvation, including at least 80 children. A number of countries, including the Netherlands, recently made a joint call for a ceasefire. Israel responded by saying they felt the statement was detached from reality and that it sent the wrong message to Hamas. ‘All statements and all claims should be addressed to the only party responsible for a deal to release the hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started the war and prolonged it.’
Although the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 were horrific – as was the killing of 55 children in 2022 that did not make the news – Israel is responsible for its own actions and cannot blame everything on Hamas. Two million Palestinians in Gaza are thirsty and starving. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention also indicates that every leader in the world must do what is possible to ensure that water and food now reach Gaza. UNWRA has enough food to feed the entire population of Gaza for three months. UNWRA also stated that the goods are available three hours away from Gaza. All that needs to happen is for the borders to be opened. And that there is security for the drivers of the aid trucks. Jan Egeland of the aid organisation Norwegian Refugee Council recently indicated that more than 85% of aid trucks never reach their destination in Gaza. The contents are seized or stripped by the starving crowds or lost in the chaos of the collapsing systems. There needs to be safe passage for the aid convoys. On Tuesday, the United Nations reported that 766 Palestinians have died at distribution points run by the controversial Israeli-controlled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) with 288 casualties near distribution points of the United Nations and other aid organisations.
The Netherlands should put its money where its mouth is and take steps to end the genocide in Gaza. Preferably in a European context, but also as a country itself. I find it duplicitous that the Dutch government is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza while simultaneously supplying weapons to Israel as well as importing weapons from Israel. According to peace organisation Pax, Israel is the world’s largest arms exporter per capita. With some 2 billion dollars worth of purchases over the past 5 years, the Netherlands is a major customer of Israel. In fact, arms imports from Israel to the Netherlands have more than doubled since the genocide, according to Pax. The Netherlands is certainly not too small to do anything. According to SOMO, the EU is the biggest investor in Israel. And of all EU member states, the Netherlands is the biggest investor in Israel. The Netherlands accounts for two-thirds of EU investments in Israel.
How terrible that two million Palestinians are starving and being shot at food distribution points when, as I pointed out earlier, there is plenty of food at the border. But there are also some bright spots. For example, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has another new aid ship sailing to Gaza with goods, the ‘Handala.’ Hopefully, they will manage to break the siege. The United Arab Emirates is sending their largest aid ship with 7,000 tonnes of food and medical aid for people in Gaza.
Hopefully there will soon be a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid, and that all hostages will soon be released. Above all, let us cherish life. Care for each other and for nature.
Hopefully soon there will be: A World Where All Children Can Play.
May-May Meijer
Chairperson, Peace SOS
Photo: Al Jazeera reports about Sanaa Al-Lahham, a 1.5-year-old child, who has died from malnutrition in Deir al-Balah, located in central Gaza. 18th July 2025.
Note: This article was published in Dutch under the title: Honger en gebombardeerd in een ‘veilige’ zone in Gaza on the Joop BNNVARA website on 24 July, 2025.