Many civil society organizations (CSOs), including Handicap International, Save, Oxfam and Action Aid, came together in front of the EU Council and the EU Commission in Brussels to mark the 290th day of Israel’s attacks on the blocked Gaza Strip.
Demonstrators placed 290 red balloons opposite the building where the EU Foreign Ministers Meeting was held, symbolizing the ongoing attacks. Each balloon was decorated with messages describing the hardships in the region, and a banner read, “Pain and suffering have marked life in Gaza for 290 days.”
NGOs protested the political inaction that was continuing the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Demonstrators demanded political leadership from the EU and its institutions to ensure an immediate and definitive ceasefire, end the conflict and provide concrete support to the people of Gaza.
Calling on EU countries to take concrete measures for a ceasefire, the demonstrators reminding that children in Gaza are completely unprotected and that they are paying the heaviest price for the ongoing violence.