THE names of around 18,500 children who have all been killed in Gaza by Israel’s onslaught are being be read out loud at Sheffield Train Station today, 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 Israel’s 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,” he said.
“It’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.
“As children in Sheffield return to school, thousands of children in Gaza will never get that chance again,” said Jonathan Feldman, from Sheffield Jews Against Israeli Apartheid. “The 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 to protect those who are living through unspeakable horrors right now.”
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.
“If 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,” she said. “That is such an overwhelming number it is almost beyond comprehension.”
“As 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.”
The event is expected to continue until midnight tonight.
\here is a shorter version of the video to share on social media.
Update
Here’s more video from the afternoon and evening. An incredibly moving event.
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