ACTIVISTS have gathered in a Scottish town to remember the 20,000 Palestinian children killed in Israel's brutal onslaught of Gaza.
The vigil, organised by the Dumfries and Galloway Palestine Solidarity Campaign, took place in Dumfries on Saturday.
Around 50 people attended the event, which also featured a "symbolic" reading of names, poetry, song and a display of photographs.
A total of £240 was also raised for the Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance and the Middle East Children's Alliance.
A spokesperson for the campaign said: "The numbers are impossible to grasp, but each precious child had a name, a story, hopes and dreams for the future.
"We sought to honour their humanity."
According to the United Nations (UN), Israel has killed 20,000 children and injured 44,000 more since October 7, 2023.
In June, the UN's independent international commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory found that Israel has "deliberately targeted Palestinian children resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes".
Last year, the same commission confirmed that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Campaigners at the vigil in Dumfries said they "reflected on the stolen childhoods of tens of thousands injured, missing under the rubble, orphaned, tortured, starved and traumatised".
A spokesperson added: "We called for our governments, Holyrood and Westminster, to cease their collusion in illegal occupation, apartheid and now genocide and to meet their obligations under international law through sanctions, particularly in ceasing their arms trade with Israel".
The group added that they had also called on Dumfries and Galloway Council to withdraw its pension funds from companies they said were "enabling and profiting from genocide".
Dumfries and Galloway Council has been approached for comment.
