'A graveyard of children': Hundreds rally in honour of children killed in Israel/Hamas war

Dozens of pairs of children's shoes lined Violet King Henry Plaza Sunday afternoon in honour of the thousands of children who have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared war on Hamas.

"It's important to know that the UN and Israeli authorities have referred to Gaza as a graveyard for children, and so we think it's very important to highlight," said Mousa Qasqas of the Canada Palestine Cultural Association.

In the past seven weeks, Israeli attacks have driven three-quarters of Gaza's 2.3 million residents from their homes. According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed and around two thirds of them are women and children.

Several hundreds of protesters attended the rally, holding signs and flags in support of Palestinans. 

Qasqas said it can be hard for people to connect with what is happening in Gaza, and it can be especially difficult for some to empathize with the men there as opposed to women and children. The shoes, he added, will hopefully help more poeple connect with Palestinians caught in the war.

"Everyone who has a child knows how affected they are when a child is hurt. That impact is what we wanted to bring," he said. "If you can't have sympathy for [Palestinian men], at least think of your own child.

"They could be that child that's under attack right now."

After the event, the shoes were donated to help local families in need.

More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the war, most of them civilians killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

With files from the Canadian Press