Play store
More than 200,000 people took to the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Sunday, demanding stronger government action against Israel over its military offensive in Gaza.
The massive demonstration, organised under the banner of the ‘Red Line’ movement, called on the Dutch government to impose tougher economic sanctions on Israel, halt all arms sales and formally recognise the atrocities in Gaza as genocide.
Many protesters dressed in red and carried Palestinian flags and banners reading ‘Stop the Genocide’, ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘No Money for Genocide’. The march began and ended at Museumplein, with demonstrators also passing through streets around Vondelpark.
According to Amnesty International’s Dutch branch, one of the organisers, more than 200,000 people participated in the rally. It was the fourth major ‘Red Line’ demonstration organised in the Netherlands.
Several organisations, including Amnesty International, Oxfam Novib, Save the Children and PAX, joined the protest.
Former Dutch minister Lilianne Ploumen, Palestinian journalist Amal Helles and writer Benjamin Moser were among those who addressed the demonstrators.
Protesters accused the Dutch government of failing to take sufficiently strong measures against Israel despite the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
‘What is happening there is inhumane,’ protester Mike van Dongen said, criticising the government’s response to the situation.
Another demonstrator, Steven Eisinger, a Jewish man with family members living in Israel, called for an end to Dutch arms supplies to Israel, saying he wanted to express solidarity with Palestinians.
The demonstration comes amid growing tensions between the Netherlands and Israel over the Gaza conflict.
The Dutch government recently introduced a ban on imports of products originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, prompting a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who participated in a similar demonstration last year, was absent from Sunday’s rally.
He defended his government’s position at a press conference on Friday, saying it was increasing political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to comply with its commitments concerning Gaza.
The war began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Israel subsequently launched a military offensive in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated much of the territory.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, with reports of further Israeli attacks and casualties.
