Berlin musicians play in memory of Gaza’s slain children
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German and international musicians in Berlin marked World Children’s Day with music and portraits honoring Gaza’s children killed by "Israel".
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Participants at a classical concert in Berlin to mark World Children’s Day, dedicating the event to the memory of children killed amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza (@IMVErlangen/ X)
A group of German and international musicians held a classical concert in Berlin to mark World Children’s Day, dedicating the event to the memory of children killed amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Organized by the Music for Humanity initiative, the charity concert was described as turning Berlin into “a place of solidarity, humanity, and music.” The program featured both professional and amateur performers presenting classical works alongside traditional Arabic pieces.
"On September 20, World Children's Day: Classical concert for children in Gaza at Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt. Hundreds of musicians from Berlin & Germany play for humanity, compassion & the right of children to life. Patron: Michael Barenboim, Conductor: Ido Arad." https://t.co/wLczIGyYWd
— Nadia Jamil (@NadiaJa11363107) September 20, 2025
In addition to the music, the event included an exhibition of portraits of children from Gaza, serving as a visual reminder of the human toll of the ongoing Israeli genocide.
The organizers also used the occasion to call for an immediate ceasefire, greater protection for children and civilians in Gaza, and a suspension of German arms exports to "Israel".
Over 20,000 children killed by 'Israel' in Gaza: Save the Children
Earlier this month, Save the Children reported that at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza over nearly 23 months of war.
Data released by the Government Media Office in Gaza also showed that at least 20,000 children, around 2% of Gaza’s child population, have been killed since October 2023. Among them were at least 1,009 infants under the age of one, nearly half of whom were born and killed during the war.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 42,011 children have been injured, while the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reported that 21,000 have been permanently disabled. Thousands more remain missing, many presumed buried under rubble.
Children facing malnutrition, imminent famine
Save the Children warned that the lives of surviving children are at daily risk as famine spreads across the Gaza Strip. More than one million people, about half of them children, are already facing catastrophic hunger, the most severe classification under the IPC Phase 5 system.
The Ministry of Health said at least 132,000 children under the age of five are at risk of death from acute malnutrition. At least 440 have already died of starvation, including 147 since famine was declared on August 22.
Parents struggle with trauma and grief
Save the Children’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support team shared testimonies from grieving parents. They described parents living through “unbearable grief”, mourning children who were torn apart by airstrikes while enduring malnutrition, displacement, and constant bombardment.
“Parents whose children were torn to pieces speak of a pain more than anyone should be made to bear, of not being able to give their children one last hug, of being deprived of a goodbye,” the group said.
