As I wrote yesterday, this weekend my Quaker community, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) will be gathering at my home meeting, Bear Creek Friends, in the countryside north of Earlham, Iowa. The theme of the weekend is The Fierce Urgency of Now: Quaker Discernment and Action for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine with Steve Chase.
The horrors in Gaza continue unabated.
Palestinian Solidarity Efforts
I’ve been praying and writing about the idea of using tents to symbolize the desparate living conditions in Gaza.
The tent in the Palestinian context transcends its basic function as a
temporary shelter, embodying a complex tapestry of historical trauma,
ongoing hardship, unwavering resilience, and the persistent demand for
justice and the right to return. It serves as a poignant symbol in the
Palestinian narrative and a powerful tool for raising awareness and
expressing solidarity on the global stage.
You can read the paper I’ve been writing about the idea of Quaker Tent Solidarity here:
https://unflinching.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/quaker-tent-solidarity-1.pdf
The youth who will be attending this Midyear Meeting are also planning to call attention to Gaza as well.
Youth Demand
This morning I saw the striking example of the Youth Demand movement, which staged a powerful protest by laying child-sized body bags outside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s door. This action was meant to highlight the devastating impact of the war on children, with protesters demanding a total trade embargo on Israel. The movement also disrupted traffic in London with banners reading “Youth Demand an End to Genocide” and “Stop Arming Israel”. See other statements from Youth Demand in the photos below.
At his door the pair laid child-sized body bags representing the 17,400 children that we know of who have been murdered during Israel’s genocidal rampage since 7 October 2023.
A Youth Demand spokesperson said:
David Lammy has admitted that Israel is in breach of international law and yet the UK has cancelled less than 10% of arms sales to Israel. 90% complicity with murder is still complicity with murder. History will rightly view those that supported the systematic slaughter of children with absolute contempt, and David Lammy will be held to account for not having the spine to cease trading with Israel and halting British armed forces from assisting this genocide.
This action came as two groups of Youth Demand supporters once again took to the streets at around 9am, disrupting traffic at Commercial Street, Angel Junction, and Tower Bridge.
The groups could be seen holding banners which read ‘Youth Demand an End to Genocide’ and ‘Stop Arming Israel’.
NOTE: This is a powerful tactic. Perhaps it bears repeating at the doors of all who are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.
How Can We Be Trading With A Genocidal State?
One of those taking action was Sue Houseman, a mum from Lancaster, who said:
For years I’ve worked with children, helping them understand what’s right and what’s wrong and giving them the confidence to use their voice and to speak up. Our government is breaking international humanitarian law and they are allowing Israel to murder children en masse. We’re providing them with the resources, the bombs, the surveillance equipment they need to kill children day in, day out and the UK government are not doing anything to stop it. If, like me, you are not prepared to put up with that, then please take action this April with Youth Demand.
Also taking action was Cristy North, 37, a live-in carer from Nottingham, who said:
How can we be trading with and arming a genocidal state? The UK government is breaking domestic and international law by doing so. I cannot sit back and watch a genocide take place. I originally come from South Africa. I was a lot younger when apartheid was happening there and I couldn’t do anything about it, but I saw the trauma and the effect it has had on people there and it makes me incredibly sad for this to be happening now in Palestine. We cannot sit back and do nothing, we must call on the government to impose a trade embargo on Israel, because as we saw with apartheid in South Africa, that was the final nail in the coffin that ended apartheid.
Youth Demand Line Up Child-Size Body Bags Outside David Lammy’s Door By The Canary, Popular Resistance, April 9, 2025
Temporary Memorial for Children Killed in Gaza
I previously wrote about the Temporary Memorial for Children Killed in Gaza. Behn Samareh drilled holes in the sand, one for each of the children killed there.
It was for myself. Almost an act of desperation. Just not knowing what else to do. So the idea was how could this number be visualized?
Behn Samareh
Behn Samareh’s exhibit reminded me of the American Friends Service Committee’s exhibit called Eyes Wide Open, another powerful symbolic effort related to the deaths during the Iraq War.
Eyes Wide Open is an exhibit created by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) observing the American soldiers and marines who died in the Iraq War (2003–2011). It contains a pair of combat boots to represent every American soldier and marine who died in the war, as well as shoes representing Iraqi civilians who lost their lives during the invasion and occupation.
Forced displacement is shrinking children’s worlds
Families in Gaza are being forced from their homes further and further south, into smaller and smaller areas, with no guarantee of safety and no basic services like food, water or medical supplies.
Children are terrified. Their worlds have been destroyed and time is running out.
My children look into my eyes every day, they are searching for answers. I have no answers for them.”Yousef*, father of three.
Children in Gaza won’t be safe until a definitive ceasefire is agreed.
Five Save the Children staff members who have worked in Gaza in recent months or are permanently based in Gaza have shared some moments that have had a lasting impact on them.
A boy grieving the loss of his father and his amputated hand. A girl was hiding her doll for safety. Children were dragging large bottles of water through the streets. Save the Children staff working in Gaza said children were struggling to cope in so many ways with the loss of homes, loved ones and security, with their childhoods shattered by war.
Five Save the Children staff members who have worked in Gaza in recent months or are permanently based in Gaza have shared some moments that have had a lasting impact on them.
ActionAid USA has highlighted stories of resilience, such as Basma, a psychologist supporting women affected by the war, and Aisha, a young woman who has endured multiple displacements. These narratives emphasize the strength and hope that persist despite the ongoing devastation.
Another effort comes from Spark for Innovation and Creativity, which launched a podcast series titled Life Canvas: Insights from Gaza. This initiative provides a platform for young women in Gaza to share their personal experiences of war through storytelling and art. The series aims to amplify their voices and showcase resilience amidst destruction.
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
The Quaker organization, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has been involved in humanitarian efforts in the Middle East for many years.
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Another Quaker organization, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has lobbied for legislation supporting peace and the Palestinian people in the US Congress for many years.
unflinching 