Netherlands: Sea of red fills Amsterdam streets in Gaza protest

The demonstration, part of the country's ongoing "Red Line" protest movement, brought large crowds onto streets closed to traffic, including the area around the Van Gogh Museum. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and carried placards reading "Not in my name", "Gaza is being starved" and "Stop the Genocide". Chants of "Free Palestine" and "Shame on you" echoed through the crowds, while marchers demanded action from The Hague. Organisers called for tougher trade sanctions against Israel, a halt to arms sales and official recognition of Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide.

The protest comes amid continuing tensions between the Netherlands and Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel strongly rejects accusations of genocide, maintaining that its military campaign followed the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

Israel's subsequent offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated much of the territory. According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 1,550 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since a ceasefire began in October 2025.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who joined an earlier Red Line demonstration but did not attend Sunday's march, defended his government's approach, saying it was increasing diplomatic pressure on Israel while also pressing Hamas to respect security commitments.