Women from the local pro-Palestinian groups, Solidarity with Palestine Pembrokeshire and Stop the War Pembrokeshire will lead a rally to mark International Women’s Day today, Friday.

The protestors will deliver a petition to Stephen Crabb’s Office aimed to highlight the 12,300 children and babies as well as the 8,400 Women who have so far been killed in over the last few months.

The rally will assemble at 3pm on Castle Square. There will then be a peaceful procession led by women and children to deliver letters and the petition to Stephen Crabb’s office.

Since October 7, local demonstrations have repeatedly marched on Stephen Crabb’s constituency office and weekly vigils have been held to protest about Israel’s war and occupation in Palestine.

Weekly letters including invitations to meet with the group to discuss the situation have also been sent to Stephen Crabb who is the Parliamentary Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel.

The group has also set up a Change.org petition urging Mr Crabb to condemn bombings and support peace in Palestine.

“On International Women's Day, Friday, March 8, Please join us on Castle Square, Haverfordwest at 3pm to make a stand for Palestine,” urged the organisers of the demonstration.

“We are asking the women, children and families of west Wales to come together in solidarity with Palestinian women, children and families.

“We want to draw attention to the genocide that is happening in Gaza and we want to hold the local MP in Haverfordwest, Stephen Crabb, accountable for his continued support of the Israeli Government in all if its genocidal actions.

“The United Nations has described Gaza as a graveyard for children. Current figures estimate that 12,300 babies and children have been killed but this is rising every day.

“Please join us with your children and families for a peaceful protest. Bring placards, poems, paintings, banners, letters to read out. But most of all bring yourselves and use International Women's day to come together and show solidarity with women in Palestine.”

The organisers said that the devastating impact the war in Gaza is having on women and children makes for ‘gruelling reading’.

“Since October 7 more than 30,228 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza,12,300 of these were children and 8,400 women.

“A staggering 71,377 have been injured with over 8,000 more missing and presumed dead. Women and children are having to have caesareans and limbs amputated with absolutely no anaesthetic whatsoever. 15 children are known to have died from starvation already.

“There has been a 300 per cent increase in incidents of miscarriages and 19,000 children have been orphaned.

“As well as this, 1.7 million Palestinians are now displaced with desperately limited access to food, medicines and water, 1.5 million of them crammed into Rafah because Israel has destroyed over half of all Gaza’s residential homes, that’s over 360,000 homes destroyed and Israel has also destroyed over 280 schools.”

Key organiser; Anna Monroe added: “As a new mother myself, it breaks my heart over and over to witness the mass killing of so many people.

“I especially struggle to cope with the murder of children and babies, nearly 13,000 now. I am filled with grief and feel so helpless, so one thing I can do is to go to my MP and ask him how he can support this. Is he ok with killing babies?? If not, why is he not only allowing but actively supporting the violence to continue? Would he support the killing of my baby? If the answer is no, then does he think Palestinian babies are less worthy of life than mine? I hope that us bringing our children to his office might help the gravity of what's happening sink in.”

Urging mothers and families to attend Friday’s protest, local campaigner Tasmin Nash said: “At the time of writing 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied as their parents have been killed or separated from them due to the continuous Israeli onslaught on Palestinians.

“As a mother of four, I am appalled at the disregard for the universal rights of children in Gaza. An unprecedented number of babies and children have been injured and murdered over the last 150 days and despite constantly writing to our local MP Steven Crabb to call for a ceasefire, our pleas are being ignored by Mr Crabb, the Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel. We will continue to voice our opposition to genocide and stand for humanity.”