The protest outside the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague drew attention when activists used red paint on the building to critique the government’s stance amid the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A Dutch news outlet reported on this incident.
Demonstrators accused the ministry of being complicit in Israel’s military operations in Gaza and shared images showing Palestinian fatalities on the facade. The ministry called the act unlawful vandalism of a government building, noting that the striking red facade attracted many onlookers, including tourists and local residents who paused to photograph the scene.
In related remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that Israel would proceed with operations in Rafah despite international pressure.
Earlier, the conflict intensified when thousands of Hamas supporters infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7. In response, Netanyahu declared that the country was at war, and the Israeli military launched a broad campaign to counter the attack, aim to free more than 200 hostages, and target Hamas leadership and capabilities. As part of this operation, Israel began intensive rocket strikes on Gaza from day one. Concurrently, the Israeli National Security Council approved measures to curb essential supplies of water, food, electricity, and fuel into the Gaza Strip to pressure the Hamas group.
The World Health Organization had previously warned of an unprecedented famine risk in Gaza amid the escalating crisis.