Thousands Join Train Station Sit-ins Across Netherlands in Solidarity with Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

Thousands across the Netherlands staged sit-ins at major train stations on Thursday to protest the apartheid “Israeli” entity’s ongoing siege of Gaza and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip.

More than 1,500 demonstrators filled Amsterdam Central Station, while nearly 1,000 others gathered at Rotterdam Central. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and banged on pots, plates and ladles — symbols of the starvation imposed on Gaza’s population due to the “Israeli” blockade of food and basic supplies.

Hundreds more participated in coordinated demonstrations in The Hague, Utrecht, Leiden and other cities including Groningen, Enschede, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Assen and Den Bosch. Protesters denounced what they described as the “barbaric treatment of Palestinians by the ‘Israeli’ entity.”

The sit-ins were organized by Dutch humanitarian groups, led by The Palestinian Community in the Netherlands [PGNL].

Flyers distributed on-site urged attendees to demand that Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp impose sanctions and an arms embargo on the “Israeli” entity, boycott “Israeli” products and participate in future protests.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema joined the campaign, conveying the sentiments of the city council and many local residents. In a powerful statement, she called on the Dutch government to take a firm stance against “Israeli” atrocities.

“We are ashamed of the inaction displayed by Europe while doctors collapse, the last Palestinian journalists are unable to work due to hunger, children die and mothers can no longer feed their babies,” Halsema said. “While violence is used against Palestinians seeking the little food that’s left, and hunger is used as a weapon of war, our government and parliament remain silent.”

She urged the national leadership to uphold the Netherlands’ own professed commitment to human rights in its foreign policy.

The protests come as over 100 international aid organizations demand urgent international action to rein in “Israeli” attacks and allow humanitarian access into Gaza. In a joint statement, the groups warned that even aid workers have become victims of the famine and shelling, with many gunned down while attempting to deliver supplies.

“Just outside Gaza, in warehouses — and even inside Gaza itself — tons of food, water, medical supplies, shelter materials, and fuel remain untouched,” the groups said. “Humanitarian organizations are being blocked from delivering them.”

On Thursday alone, “Israeli” strikes martyred at least 100 more Palestinians, including 34 waiting in line for aid. The UN reports that “Israeli” forces have shot and killed over 1,000 civilians at food distribution points in recent months.

Since the launch of the US-backed “Israeli” assault in October 2023, more than 59,580 Palestinians have been martyred, and at least 143,500 have been wounded.