THE names of around 18,500 children who have all been killed in Gaza by Israelβs onslaught will be read out loud at Sheffield Train Station on Friday, September 5, 2025, in an event predicted to take at least 18 hours.
Gaza-born Sheffield resident Musheir El Farra will be among those reading the names of the children, all of whom have been killed since Israelβs military began its bombardment of Gaza in October 2023.
“It brings us a great deal of sadness that we will be reading names of children who were killed in Israeli army bombings instead of celebrating their lives, innocence and watching them grow in a healthy and safe environment,β he said.
βIt’s our human duty not to let their memory die. It’s also our duty to raise people’s awareness of such horrific crimes that are being and have been committed against Palestinians for over seven-and-a-half decades.”
More than 150 volunteers from Sheffield and the surrounding areas will take turns reading the names of the dead children starting at 6a.m. and running through until at least midnight.
βAs children in Sheffield prepare to return to school, thousands of children in Gaza will never get that chance again,β said Jonathan Feldman, from Sheffield Jews Against Israeli Apartheid. βThe children of Gaza had hopes and dreams for their future, just like our children do. The world has a responsibility not only to remember the children who have been killed, but protect those who are living through unspeakable horrors right now.β
At least 122 children have starved to death in Gaza since Israel began its blockade of essential food and aid supplies, and there are reports of children dying while trying to get food from airdrops and aid stations. Amir, who was thought to be no older than 12, was shot and killed by an IDF soldier just minutes after collecting scraps of food from an aid point.
According to the United Nations, Israeli forces have also used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions to damage or destroy more than 90 per cent of schools and university buildings across Gaza leaving more than 650,000 children without access to education.
Shereen Kamil from Sheffield is part of Sheffield Coalition against Israeli Apartheid and one of the organisers of the event.
βIf you went to a funeral for a child killed in Gaza everyday from now, it would take more than 50 years to mourn every child,β she said. βThat is such an overwhelming number it is almost beyond comprehension.β
βAs our own children prepare to return to school, the least we can do is remember those who will never be able to sit in a classroom ever again.β
Event Details
What: A commemorative reading of the names of all the children killed in Gaza.
When: Friday, September 5, 2025 from 6 a.m. until midnight.
Where: Sheffield Train Station, Outdoor Concourse
