An interfaith coalition has unveiled a 100-metre memorial shroud at the UN Church Centre in New York, featuring the handwritten names of more than 20,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza. Organisers stated that the project, titled "Not a number, but a name," is intended to restore individual identity to every young person who has died in the besieged enclave. Beyond memorialisation, the group is calling for an immediate end to the Israeli military campaign and the establishment of legal accountability for alleged war crimes.
The initiative was organised by a collaborative effort involving Doctors Against Genocide, Priests Against Genocide USA, Justice for All, and several affiliated civil society groups. The unveiling ceremony included an interfaith service and a recitation of the Holy Quran, timed to coincide with the high-level sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.
The design of the shroud draws inspiration from an earlier memorial in Rome created by Pastors Against Genocide. That project was itself prompted by the practice of parents in Gaza writing their children's names on their skin to ensure they could be identified if they were killed in bombardments. Following its initial display at Philadelphia City Hall on September 1, the travelling exhibition is scheduled to visit Washington in October. Plans are in place for the shroud to move to a new city each month as part of a year-long international awareness campaign.
According to United Nations assessments, the conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 20,000 children since October 2023, with an additional 44,000 wounded across the territory.
