Tens of thousands rally in Dutch Gaza protest
THE HAGUE: Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague Sunday to demand more action from the Dutch government against what they termed a 'genocide' in Gaza.
Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called 'red line'.
Many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting 'Stop the Genocide', the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon.
Protesters brandished banners reading 'Don't look away, do something', 'Stop Dutch complicity', and 'Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die'.
Organisers urged the Dutch government -- which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition -- to do more to rein in Israel.
'People in Gaza cannot wait and the Netherlands has a duty to do everything it can to stop the genocide,' they said in their call to action.
Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: 'It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can't take it anymore.'
'I'm here because I think it's maybe the only thing you can do now as a Dutch citizen, but it's something you have to do,' she added.
A previous protest in The Hague on May 18 drew more than 100,000 people, according to organisers, who described it as the country's largest demo in 20 years.
Police did not give an estimate for that demonstration.
The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians.
The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Israel strongly rejects the accusations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Cambodia seeks ICJ ruling over border tensions with Thailand
BANGKOK: Cambodia said on Sunday it had asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its border disputes with Thailand, after a flare-up in their long-running row led the Southeast Asian neighbours to mobilise troops on both sides of the border. A Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief skirmish on May 28 in a confrontation over the 820-km (510-mile) frontier, parts of which are undemarcated and claimed by both nations. "Cambodia chooses a peaceful resolution based on international law through the ICJ mechanism for solving the border dispute," Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page. The post showed a picture of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn holding an envelope that Hun Manet said contained a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague, often called the World Court. The Thai Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cambodia's move. Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers to settle the disputes through bilateral mechanisms. Talks on border demarcation over the weekend between officials from both countries were inconclusive with both sides pledging to de-escalate tensions and continue dialogue. Cambodia said in a statement that it had proposed to Thailand the two countries should jointly bring the four dispute areas to the ICJ and that these areas should no longer be included in future bilateral talks on border demarcation. Cambodia also said that it would begin legal proceedings at the ICJ independently, despite Thailand's rejection of the court's jurisdiction. Thailand, on the other hand, made no mention of the four disputed areas or the ICJ, saying only that "both sides will continue discussions and joint implementation" of border demarcation talks. Thailand is set to host the next meeting in September. Hun Manet said the disputes at the four border areas, including the one where the fatal clash took place, are "complicated and have high risks of armed clashes and where bilateral mechanisms cannot solve." He did not disclose the contents of the letter, which were not visible in the picture. Cambodia has twice successfully sought ICJ resolutions, in 1962 on the ownership of the disputed Preah Vihear temple and in 2013, after it sought clarification of jurisdiction of the land around the temple. Although both governments have pledged to handle the issue through dialogue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films.--REUTERS
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump: US involvement in Iran-Israel war 'possible'
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told a news network Sunday the United States could become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict, and that he would be "open" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator. The Republican president, according to ABC News, also said talks over Iran's nuclear programme were continuing and that Tehran would "like to make a deal," perhaps more quickly now that the Islamic republic is trading massive strikes with Israel. "It's possible we could get involved" in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Trump said in an off-camera interview with ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott that was not previously publicised. He stressed that the United States is "not at this moment" involved in the military action. As for Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict, "he is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it," Trump said. Israel and Iran traded heavy aerial assaults for a third straight day Sunday, with casualties mounting following Israel's large-scale attacks aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation. Oman, which has acted as a mediator on the nuclear issue, has said a sixth round of talks between Iran and the United States planned for this weekend had been cancelled. But Trump said the two sides were continuing discussions. "No, there's no deadline" on negotiations, he told ABC when asked whether there was a time limit for Tehran to come to the table. "But they are talking. They'd like to make a deal. They're talking. They continue to talk," Trump said, according to Scott. Trump suggested that something like the clash between Israel and Iran "had" to happen to spur talks on a nuclear agreement. It "may have forced a deal to go quicker, actually," Trump said.--AFP
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as nuclear talks are called off
DUBAI (AP): Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday (June 15) and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, were canceled. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel's surprise bombardment Friday of Iranian nuclear and military sites killed several top generals and nuclear scientists. Neither side showed any sign of backing down. Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling a further widening of the campaign. Israel, the sole though undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, said it launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The two countries have been adversaries for decades. Explosions shook Iran's capital, Tehran, around noon and again around 3.30pm. Semiofficial news agencies close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard reported one strike in the area of Vali-e Asr Square downtown and another in a neighbourhood named for the air force, which is headquartered there. Sirens went off across much of Israel again around 4pm, warning of what would be Iran's first daytime assault since the fighting began. There were no immediate reports of casualties. US President Donald Trump has expressed full support for Israel's actions while warning Iran that it can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that if Israel's strikes on Iran stop, then "our responses will also stop." He said the United States "is a partner in these attacks and must take responsibility." Iran's U.N. ambassador said Saturday that 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded. There has been no official update since then. Israel said 14 people there have been killed and 390 wounded. Iran has fired over 270 missiles, 22 of which got through the country's sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses to make impact, according to Israeli figures. The country's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day. Israeli strikes targeted Iran's Defense Ministry early Sunday after hitting air defenses, military bases and sites associated with its nuclear program. The killing of several top generals and nuclear scientists in targeted strikes indicated that Israeli intelligence has penetrated Iran at the highest levels. Araghchi said Israel targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in a province on the Persian Gulf. He said Iran targeted "economic" sites in Israel, without elaborating. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that an Israeli drone strike caused a "strong explosion" at an Iranian natural gas processing plant. The extent of damage at the South Pars natural gas field was not immediately clear. Such sites have air-defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting. In a sign that Iran expects Israeli strikes to continue, state television reported that metro stations and mosques would be made available as bomb shelters beginning Sunday night. In Israel, at least six people, including a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven were missing. An Associated Press reporter saw streets lined with damaged or destroyed buildings, bombed-out cars and shards of glass. Some people could be seen leaving with suitcases. Another four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42. The Weizmann Institute of Science, an important centre for research in Rehovot, reported "a number of hits to buildings on the campus." It said no one was harmed. An oil refinery was damaged in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, according to the firm operating it, which said no one was wounded. World leaders made urgent calls to de-escalate. The attack on nuclear sites set a "dangerous precedent," China's foreign minister said Saturday. The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off such calls, saying Israel's strikes so far are "nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days." Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But Iran has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog issued a rare censure of Iran last week. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive nuclear talks, said Washington remained committed to them and hoped the Iranians would return to the table. Iran's foreign minister on Saturday called the nuclear talks "unjustifiable" after Israel's strikes. In a social media post early Sunday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. was not involved in the attacks on Iran and warned that any retaliation directed against it would bring an American response "at levels never seen before." "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!" he wrote. In Iran, satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images shot Saturday (June 14) by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said four "critical buildings" were damaged, including Isfahan's uranium-conversion facility. The IAEA said there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity Sunday in line with official procedures, said it would take "many months, maybe more" to restore the two sites. – AP
