Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
The terrible plight facing the children of Gaza has been highlighted to visitors at an Inverness beauty spot over the weekend.
A new art installation produced in collaboration with local artists, Art Workers 4 Palestine and the local community, has been shining a light on the death and suffering of children during the continued occupation of Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as they carry out actions against Hamas in retaliation for the mass terrorist attack on October 7.
The scale of the bombing involved, and the inability to get sufficient aid to civilians, has prompted sharp criticism around the world, with many calling out what they argue has been indiscriminate military action and a human-driven famine that has caused colossal collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians are now thought to have died, and, with half the population of Gaza aged under 18 years old at the start of the conflict, the number of children included in that death toll is believed to be high.
Posters and art installations highlighting the human cost of the bombing have now been temporarily erected in the Ness Islands in Inverness to flag up the loss of civilian lives and the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza.
Sana Gilfillan, who helped to organise the art installation, said: “The project is titled All the Children and it is a travelling art installation meant to remember and express solidarity with the 2.4 million children who are suffering unimaginable horrors under the Israeli occupation in Palestine.
“As a mom of two toddlers, I have found the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza very harrowing to witness. It has been cathartic for me and other parents and members of the local community to do our part to honour and show solidarity with the parents and children trapped in this unfathomable situation.
“We are hoping the concept can gain traction around under locations around the Highlands through the summer.”
She added that feedback from the public had been good, and she had been pleased to see so many passers-by engaging with the artworks while walking the many public paths through the islands.
She also added that she was eager to hold similar events in other communities, and if anyone wished to suggest locations, they could reach out to Art Workers 4 Palestine’s Highlands and Islands group.
