ADVERTISEMENT A new short film, released by the charities Save the Children and Choose Love, sees an extraordinary cast of actors, musicians and campaigners recite Michael Rosen’s poem “Don’t Mention the Children” – a work written more than a decade ago after Israel banned the broadcast of an advert naming children killed in Gaza.
Its verses feel even more relevant now: since October 2023, officials in Gaza report more than 20,000 children killed in the conflict. Israel says it is targeting Hamas but has faced mounting international criticism over the scale of civilian casualties.
“I wrote Don’t Mention the Children eleven years ago in response to an attempt to silence the names of children killed in Gaza,” explains the children’s author, poet and activist, Michael Rosen.
“It is heartbreaking that the poem is still so relevant today – in fact, the situation for children has only grown worse. Behind every number, every statistic, is a child with a name and a future that has been stolen. We cannot allow them to be erased. To deny their names is to deny their humanity, and we must resist that erasure at every turn.”
Among those lending their voices to the recital are Annie Lennox, Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Guy Pearce, Ambika Mod, Laura Whitmore, Nadia Sawalha, Poppy Delevingne, Misan Harriman and Rosen himself, alongside a wider group of actors, writers and activists.
The film closes with a stark appeal: “Don’t Bomb Children. Don’t Starve Children. Don’t Kill Children.” Each phrase is constructed from the names of children reported to have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Misan Harriman, the photographer and director who helped drive the project says: “For nearly two years, children in Gaza have endured a relentless stream of atrocities – their homes, schools and hospitals destroyed, the deliberate use of starvation as a weapon. And still, the world does nothing to stop it.”
The campaign is urging the public to sign a petition demanding an immediate suspension of UK arms transfers to Israel, accountability for violations of international law and action to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
The UK government has so far resisted calls to halt arms sales, saying it continues to keep its licensing decisions under review.
