THE exhibit, housed in a trailer, recreates the atmosphere of a narrow tunnel with small cells and messages on the walls such as ‘You are not alone’, ‘Stop genocide’, and ‘Hope’.
Rachel Meijler, owner of the ‘Meijler Art’ gallery, explained that Israeli artist Roni Levavi recreated the tunnel in Amsterdam after an original project in Tel Aviv. The exhibit aims to provoke a ‘universal question’ about the actions of families with loved ones captured by Hamas.
“I found some funding and then I asked the artist if he was willing to build it again. Then we have the brilliant idea to build it inside a trailer so we can travel with it through the Netherlands and Europe,” according to Rachel Meijler, Owner, Meijler Art Gallery.
“I think it’s important that we ask a universal question, what would you do if your child would be taken hostage? It would drive you nuts. You would everything you could within your power,” added Meijler.
Visitors expressed hope for the safe return of hostages still held in captivity.
“For the hostages, I hope with all my heart that they come back safe and sound, I hope. Really,” added Meijler.
Meanwhile, footage also shows a pro-Palestine protest, with demonstrators condemning Israel for alleged ‘genocide’ in Gaza. They carried Palestinian flags and displayed pictures of children reportedly killed in the conflict.
Palestine supporters demanded attention on Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million people are reportedly sheltering. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed to have taken ‘operational control’ of the Palestinian side of the Rafah aid crossing with Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called for a large-scale military offensive in the city to defeat Hamas, despite warnings of civilian casualties from the US and other allies.
In contrast, Hamas announced its acceptance of a proposed three-phase deal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange on Monday. However, Israel rejected the proposal, stating that it fell short of meeting its demands and had been ‘softened’ from a version it had previously approved.
Meanwhile, the IDF stated that they targeted Hamas locations and infrastructure in their response. However, United Nations experts warned against ‘collective punishment’ for the people of Gaza, warning of an imminent ‘humanitarian crisis’ and describing the situation as ‘hell settling in’ for the region.
