Philadelphia City Hall displays shroud honoring 20,000 children killed in Gaza

• The memorial shroud will travel to a different city each month. 
• New York is its upcoming destination.

A giant shroud bearing the handwritten names of more than 20,000 Palestinian children killed during 'Israel’s' ongoing assault on Gaza was displayed at City Hall North in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. 

The memorial marked the global launch of The Gaza Children’s Shroud, a traveling movement of public witness and solidarity organized to expose the human toll of 'Israeli' military aggression.

The project was spearheaded by the Prayers for Peace Alliance alongside Priests Against Genocide USA (PAGUSA), Doctors Against Genocide (DAG), Justice for All, and a broad coalition of faith and community organizations.

Organizers highlighted the symbolism of launching the project in Philadelphia, the historic birthplace of American independence, during the country's 250th anniversary year.

Echoing an earlier July 4 appeal sent to the US Congress by PAGUSA and DAG, organizers directly challenged the US political establishment for its complicity in backing 'Israeli' war crimes:

"It is profoundly significant that this act of global solidarity takes place in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American independence ... We must ask ourselves: do our founding promises of liberty and justice extend to the children of Gaza? This Shroud is a mirror to our collective conscience."

Read more: 'Israeli' colonel says he is "not sorry" for killing seven aid workers in Gaza

Future expositions

Following its initial display in Philadelphia, the Gaza Children's Shroud will travel to New York City for an international installation at the UN Church Center on Sep.16 to coincide with the UN General Assembly. 

The exhibition will proceed to Washington, D.C., in October, moving to a new city each month as part of a year-long global campaign demanding an immediate end to 'Israeli' military aggression and accountability for war crimes.