A Gazan student shared a moving account of her experiences growing up in Palestine during a peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration held outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Hundreds of activists gathered at the event, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners to show support. Among the speakers was 24-year-old Rita Abu Rahmeh, a student from Gaza, who delivered a heartfelt tribute to the children who have lost their lives in the conflict.
“We stand under a sky that has erased too many names — memories that should have turned into futures,” she said. “We shouldn’t be lighting candles for children who should’ve been celebrating birthdays.”
She continued, “Their names should appear on schoolbooks, not gravestones. Their laughter should have filled playgrounds, not been buried beneath the rubble. Every child in Gaza had a name, a song, and dreams for the future — but they won’t get to grow up.”
Reflecting on her own childhood, she shared how her parents would softly sing lullabies to her as the sound of warplanes roared overhead.
Since October 2023, nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including many women and children, as a result of Israel’s military operations. Thousands more have been seriously injured.
These operations were launched in response to a deadly attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and nearly 200 hostages being taken.
More recently, Israeli forces resumed airstrikes in Gaza after a ceasefire agreement fell apart.
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