A few hundred people gathered at the Kelowna Courthouse on Nov. 12 to pay respects to the children in Gaza whose lives have been disrupted or ended by the war in the Middle East.

Debbie Hubbard with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East - Okanagan Chapter opened the vigil.

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The crowd was filled with people of all ages holding various signs and waving Palestinian flags.

A poem by a Palestine-American was read in both Arabic and English, written from the perspective of a fearful child in the middle of the war.

A scroll was rolled out of the steps of the courthouse by Palestine-Canadian Haneen, who identified himself only by his first name. He has participated in previous walks and events at the University of B.C. Okanagan. The scroll lists all the names of the people who died in the Israel-Palestine conflict between Oct. 7 and Oct. 26.

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The vigil began at 3 p.m. and concluded with a march around downtown Kelowna to raise awareness.

READ MORE: Protesters demonstrate across Canada as Israel-Hamas war rages