- As American students continue with their pro-Palestinian activism, including orchestrating sit inns, Palestinians express their gratitude.
- In Rafah, a local resident encouraged the students to persevere with their pro-Palestine demonstrations.
“Thank you, American universities,” was the message adorned on tents in Rafa. Rafah currently holds 1.4 million displaced individuals from other areas within the enclave.
Amid growing pro-Palestine demonstrations on US college campuses, displaced residents of the Gaza Strip express gratitude to students, faculty, and other protesters for their solidarity against Israel’s offensive.
Despite the restricted means of communication in the blockaded territory, where Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of over 34,400 people, Palestinian man Abu Youssef Hamad inscribed a message in English on his tent:
“Thank you students in solidarity with Gaza. Your message has been received.”
Hamad, 43, said Palestinians in Gaza had: “no way to express our gratitude to the students protesting in America other than writing a letter of thanks on our tents.”
“We thank all the students who stood with us and expressed their solidarity as a result of the genocidal war taking place in Gaza,” he added.
“Thank you, American universities,” was written on another one of the tents set in Rafah.
Hamad continued: “We express our thanks to everyone who stands with us.”
He implored students to persist in their demonstrations “until the devastating Israeli war that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip since October 7 ends.”
Student protests in America so far
At Columbia University in New York City, students initiated a campus sit-in on April 18 to protest the school’s ongoing financial connections to companies supporting Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the crisis in Gaza.
Following suit, pro-Palestinian student demonstrations have spread to several other prominent US universities, including California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt; University of California, Berkeley; University of Southern California; University of Texas at Austin; Yale University; University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Swarthmore College; University of Pittsburgh; University of Rochester; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Tufts University; Emerson College; Emory University; and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Since October 7th, Israel has conducted a relentless offensive in Gaza, resulting in the brutal killing of nearly 34,400 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and over 77,400 injuries.
The region has suffered widespread destruction and severe shortages of essential supplies.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, with an interim ruling in January demanding an end to genocidal acts and the implementation of measures to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza.
