Palestinian and Israeli mothers walk hand in hand in Rome: all the power of the (barefoot) march for peace

Yesterday the center of Rome was transformed into a symbol of hope thanks to the Barefoot Walk: Mothers’ Call for Peace, a silent but powerful march led by Palestinian and Israeli mothers. Barefoot, the women walked through the city, demanding an immediate end to the violence and the right to participate in peace negotiations.

A global appeal born from pain

The initiative was promoted by Reem Al-Hajajreh of Women of the Sun and by Yael Admi of Women Wage Peacecandidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. The two leaders underlined how mothers are often the first to suffer the consequences of conflicts and the last to be listened to:

As the wars continue, the voices of those who pay the highest price, mothers and women, are systematically ignored and excluded from the rooms where their future and that of their children is decided. Today we say enough, all this must stop.

The procession started from the Ara Pacis and ended at the Terrazza del Pincio, with thousands of participants from all over Europe. Every step, without shoes, had a symbolic value: direct contact with the earth as a reminder of truth, fragility and hope.

A solidarity that crosses continents

It wasn’t just the streets of Rome that experienced this energy. In Florence, hundreds of people participated in a parallel event, with the reading of the appeal in Hebrew, Arabic and Italian and the throwing of white flowers into the Arno in memory of the victims of the conflicts. At the same time, in Jerusalem, the singer and activist Noa relaunched the initiative in virtual connection with Rome.

The mothers’ message is clear: children have the right to a safe future, women must have a voice in decision-making processes and violence must end immediately. The meeting with Pope Leo XIV represented a moment of official recognition and further pressure on world leaders. The voice of singer-songwriter Milck, performed a cappella during the march, gave strength to a universal appeal that aims to transform pain into concrete action.

Peace begins with (im)possible gestures

For a Palestinian mother, walking hand in hand with an Israeli mother was not easy: every step contained years of mourning, fear and hostility. Yet, yesterday, Rome saw the birth of a powerful gesture of extraordinary courage and reconciliation, capable of making hope resonate beyond borders and wars. The Barefoot Walks will continue in the coming months in Europe and around the world, in conjunction with international summits such as the G7 in Evian, consolidating a message of peace that becomes action.

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