US Students Initiate Hunger Strike to Challenge Alleged Starvation Measures in Gaza

The student-led initiative additionally seeks to highlight the Trump administration’s focus on pro-Palestinian students campaigning for human rights.

Students from Yale University, alongside peers from four California State universities, including Long Beach, San Jose State, Sacramento State, and San Francisco State, have united in a collective hunger strike.

Students are calling for a full withdrawal of investments from companies involved with the Israeli regime’s actions they characterize as genocidal. They are also urging the university to cut ties with Israeli institutions and to ensure the protection of free speech on campus.

At Yale University, a coalition of six members from Yalies4Palestine, comprised of five undergraduate students and one recent graduate, has pledged to persist with their hunger strike until their demands are addressed by the administration.

The group’s demands encompass a divestment from arms suppliers, a halt on penalizing student protesters, and the termination of partnerships that finance students traveling to Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation.

Students have announced their decision to subsist solely on water until Yale addresses and agrees to their stipulated list of demands.

A hunger striker relayed to the News that the group stands in solidarity with Gaza, expressing deep concern over the plight of children and families facing starvation. They also support students nationwide who are participating in hunger strikes.

The hunger strikers conveyed to local media outlets that their demonstration commenced in solidarity with a cohort of 25 students from California State Universities, who initiated their hunger strike on May 5.

A spokesperson for Yale University, Karen Peart, expressed concern regarding the health and well-being of its students, emphasizing the institution’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the right to free expression.

She noted that engaging in a hunger strike as a means of peaceful protest does not infringe upon University policy.

In the Netherlands, a group of students has established an encampment at Utrecht University, urging the institution to cut financial ties with Israeli entities. The encampment has been named in memory of the late Palestinian journalist, Hossam Shabat.

In the latest development, the administration’s stringent measures against pro-Palestine activism persist. Additionally, thousands of international students have faced deportation due to minor infractions and arrests.

Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 52,800 individuals in Gaza.

The conflict escalated dramatically after a significant military operation by Hamas, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which was launched in retaliation against what was described as heightened hostilities by Israeli forces. In response, Israel initiated a comprehensive military campaign in Gaza and enforced a total blockade on the region.

In January, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas after failing to meet its objectives, which included dismantling the Palestinian resistance movement and securing the release of captives.

Israel halted the provision of essential resources, including food, medical supplies, and other aid, to the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip on March 2. This action occurred just two weeks prior to the breakdown of the two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

In the last 24 hours, US-manufactured Israeli bombs, missiles, and drones have resulted in the deaths of 100 individuals as they targeted residential homes, commercial establishments, apartment buildings, and tents sheltering displaced Palestinians.