On 29th October, Salama sent me another urgent message. Salama coordinates Peace SOS Gaza.
“Unfortunately, there are sounds of explosions and aircraft…”
Then I see a photo of a huge cloud of smoke next to their tent.
“The bombings affected all areas of the Gaza Strip, from north to south, and reports indicate that 100 people lost their lives. I hope this violence ends quickly. Unfortunately, I expect the bombing and killing to continue intermittently.”
On Al Jazeera, I read that Salama’s message is correct. One hundred Palestinians have been killed, including at least 35 children. Another 234 people have been injured. According to Al Jazeera, this was in retaliation for the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah. Hamas denied responsibility for this.
My heart sinks and for a few hours I put this horrific news out of my mind. The situation in Gaza is already disastrous due to a severe shortage of food, clean drinking water and inadequate medical care. And just about everything has been destroyed. I was hopeful when Peace SOS Gaza, with the help of God/Allah, managed to distribute two trucks of clean drinking water in Gaza to the thirsty people. I posted this on LinkedIn and tagged the Dutch Prime Minister and the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, because I hope it will encourage them and other people to take care of each other. Salama had also come up with the idea of providing pyjamas to children to protect them from the cold. This is something that Peace SOS wholeheartedly supports.
And now for this shocking news.
At the end of the day, Salama informs me that he would like the agreement to remain in place. He puts it as follows:
“It would be wonderful if the terms of the agreement were implemented, including the delivery of humanitarian aid, the opening of border crossings, the entry of building materials and the evacuation of the wounded and sick.
Rehabilitating the infrastructure. Rebuilding hospitals, schools and universities. We need to rebuild an entire life in Gaza. And first and foremost, we need security. We need to get rid of anxiety and fear. Don’t we hear the sounds of explosions around us?”
A Palestinian child deserves to be cherished, just like an Israeli child, a Dutch child or a child from Sudan. The lives of soldiers should also be spared. As I have said several times before, I believe there should be an arms embargo on Israel. Local grassroots organisations of Israelis and Palestinians who want peace should be supported and heard. Examples include Women Wage Peace and Standing Together. I also believe that the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs should discuss this serious violation of the ceasefire with his Israeli counterpart and the new Israeli ambassador. The Foreign Secretary should also urge Israel to allow the agreed amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as the reconstruction materials needed to rebuild Gaza.
During the election campaign in the Netherlands, the astronomical increase in the defence budget seemed to be a foregone conclusion. I believe that we should spend less money on militarisation worldwide and more on peace work by local grassroots organisations, combating hunger, preserving nature and addressing climate change. We humans are waging war against each other while nature and the climate are reaching tipping points. The global decline of warm-water coral reefs is a fact. According to Scientias, we are on the verge of crossing several irreversible tipping points. These include the melting of the ice caps, the collapse of crucial ocean currents and the decline of the Amazon rainforest.
Let us cherish everyone’s life. Let there be peace, let us fight hunger and ensure that nature and the climate recover. Hopefully, there will soon be: A World Where All Children Can Play.
Author: May-May Meijer
Photo: The aftermath of two warplanes that were flying over the area where Salama and his family live and bombed a target
Note: This article was published in Dutch under the title: Stop met het doden van kinderen in Gaza en in heel de wereld on the Joop BNNVARA website on 30 October 2025.