Milan march honors children killed in Gorla, Minab and Gaza
Artists and marchers in Milan, northern Italy, marked the 82nd anniversary of the Italy’s Gorla school massacre by honoring children killed in wars, including those who lost their lives in Minab, southern Iran, and Gaza.
The Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab was hit by a US missile strike on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, killing 168 people, most of them children.
According to a UNICEF tolly, at least 21,700 children had been killed in the Gaza Strip as of June 30, 2026, following the full-fledged war by Israel on the Palestinian territory in October 2023.
Media activist Zio Filippo accompanied participants from Piazza della Repubblica to Piazza Venezia, using music videos to draw public attention to the event.
Italian artists also released a song titled ‘Gorla, Minab, Gaza’ to pay tribute to the young victims.
Italy’s parliament recognized October 20 as a National Day of Remembrance for child victims of war for the first time in 2026, under a law adopted in May. The day honors children killed in the Gorla massacre and in conflicts worldwide.
On October 20, 1944, an Allied bombing struck the Francesco Crispi elementary school in Milan’s Gorla district, killing 184 children and 19 school staff, according to Italian parliamentary records. The incident became known as the Gorla massacre.
The commemorations connected a World War Two tragedy in Milan with more recent losses in the Middle East, using public gatherings and music to highlight the toll of war on children.