A major vigil on Derry’s Peace Bridge protesting the starvation of Gaza and the ongoing the genocide in Palestine is to be held on Friday afternoon, August 1.

Members of Rise for Palestine will join other Palestine solidarity groups and individuals from Derry to take part in the vigil on the bridge in support of the people of Gaza. The ‘bridgil’ will commence at 5.30pm.

In a statement Rise for Palestine said: “Together we will call out the ongoing genocide and deliberate starvation of Palestinians in Gaza and show that Derry stands firmly for justice and humanity. Bring your flags, banners, placards, and voices.

“Let’s keep Gaza in the public eye and show our unwavering solidarity. Stand up. Speak out. Be counted.”

Granny Squares for Gaza quilt outside the Museum of Free Derry on Tuesday. The quilt stretches over 40 metres, comprising of 2300 squares each representing 10 children murdered by Israel in Gaza. Mayor Ruairí McHugh, Tony Doherty, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, Ciara Ferguson MLA, and local councillors Emma McGinley and Christopher Jackson took part in displaying the quilt outside the Museum. Photo: George Sweeney

placeholder image — Granny Squares for Gaza quilt outside the Museum of Free Derry on Tuesday. The quilt stretches over 40 metres, comprising of 2300 squares each representing 10 children murdered by Israel in Gaza. Mayor Ruairí McHugh, Tony Doherty, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, Ciara Ferguson MLA, and local councillors Emma McGinley and Christopher Jackson took part in displaying the quilt outside the Museum. Photo: George Sweeney

On Tuesday evening, Rise for Palestine brought the powerful Granny Squares for Gaza quilt to Derry’s Peace Bridge, while the Bloody Sunday Trust also brought it to the Museum of Free Derry.

A spokesperson for Rise for Palestine said: “Stretching 40 metres, the quilt is made up of 2,300 crocheted squares, each one representing 10 Palestinian children killed in Gaza. That’s 23,000 children, murdered in an ongoing genocide.

“Crafted by communities across Ireland, this quilt is an act of grief, resistance, and solidarity. Carried across the Peace Bridge, it demanded the world bear witness.”

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert this week reported that food consumption and nutrition indicators have reached their worst levels since the war on Gaza began.

The Bloody Sunday Trust in partnership with Craftivism for Palestine brought the Granny Squares for Gaza quilt to Derry's Museum of Free Derry on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: George Sweeney

Relentless conflict, the collapse of essential services, and severe limitations on the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance imposed on the UN have led to "catastrophic food security conditions for hundreds of thousands of people across the Gaza Strip”, they stated.

Data shows that almost four in ten people in Gaza are now going days at a time without eating. More than 500,000 people – nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population – are enduring famine-like conditions, while the remaining population is facing emergency levels of hunger.

“People are starving not because food is unavailable, but because access is blocked, local agrifood systems have collapsed, and families can no longer sustain even the most basic livelihoods,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.