Andrew Parkinson
Blind swimmer swims 20,000 laps to honor 20,000 children killed in Gaza
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- Although he has never seen footage of the atrocities in Gaza, he has found ways to support Palestinians through direct communication and outreach.
- He uses translation tools to overcome language barriers and connect with people in Gaza.
Andrew Parkinson, a 25-year-old blind Australian swimmer, is undertaking a challenge to swim 20,000 laps in memory of more than 20,000 children killed in Palestine since 2023.
Parkinson, who has never seen footage of the destruction in Gaza, has found other ways to connect with Palestinians affected by the war. He uses translation tools to communicate directly with people in Gaza, overcoming language barriers to reach those living through the conflict.
His challenge comes amid the enormous toll of ‘Israel's’ war on Gaza's children. At least 21,976 children had been killed in the territory as of Oct. 9, according to figures from Palestinian medical sources published by WAFA, the Palestinian news agency.
The scale of the deaths has continued to draw concern from international humanitarian organisations. UNICEF said in October that more than 340 children had been reported killed in Gaza in the year since the October 2025 ceasefire, while hundreds more had been injured.
Parkinson's 20,000-lap challenge is dedicated to remembering the children killed in Palestine since the war began. Each lap represents a tribute to a life lost, turning his swimming background into a sustained act of remembrance.
