A quarter of a million people marched through Amsterdam chanting “Free Palestine”

On Sunday, a march took place in Amsterdam with an estimated quarter of a million people calling on the Dutch government to take a tougher stance on Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Most participants wore red clothing as a symbol of the “red line” against the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine.”

The organizers, including the PAX Netherlands association, emphasized that the government was not responding adequately to allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and called on politicians to take concrete measures to end the conflict. The demonstration took place three weeks before the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 29, 2025, in the Netherlands.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed understanding for the anger and concerns of the demonstrators and called for an end to the humanitarian crisis and the war in Gaza.

According to information from Echo24, the Dutch government is set to gradually toughen its stance toward Israel. This is to be done, for example, by imposing an entry ban on certain Israeli ministers or by plans to ban the import of selected goods.

(sie)