American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)

Next Wednesday, May 28, is World Hunger Day. Our colleagues at the American Friends Service Committee have launched a pledge supporting the #FastForGaza initiative. They are asking people of good faith to commit to fasting that day in protest of the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Violence only begets violence and only peace can bring forth peace. We hope you can commit to fasting next Wednesday.

Live view from Gaza AP

I don’t think you can appreciate what is going on, the level of devastation in Gaza if you haven’t seen images from there. This is what the devastation in Gaza looks like, from AP. Images you have likely not seen because of the severe censorship by Israeli and US governments.

Recent timeline

• April 30, 2025: The Washington Post reports that Gazans are again going hungry as Israel’s total siege nears two months, with no food, fuel, aid, or commercial goods having entered Gaza since March 2. Residents report surviving on one meal a day or less.
• May 5, 2025: More than two dozen students across California begin a fast in solidarity with Gaza.
• May 5, 2025: Israeli authorities announce a plan for delivering food and non-food items across the Gaza Strip governorates, which is estimated to be highly insufficient and likely to create significant access barriers.
• May 11, 2025 – September 30, 2025 (Projected): The IPC classifies the entire territory of Gaza in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), with the entire population expected to face Crisis or worse acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). 470,000 people (22 percent of the population) are projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). There is a high risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) occurring during this period if a protracted and large-scale military operation and continuation of the blockade persist.
• May 19, 2025: Hungry Palestinian children are photographed gathering to receive food aid in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.
• May 20, 2025: Day nine of the hunger strike at Stanford University.
• May 20, 2025: Students at Stanford University, including members of the Stanford Asian American Action Committee (SAAAC), join the hunger strike for justice in Palestine. They publish a statement outlining their demands and motivations.
• May 20, 2025: International outrage over Israel’s intensified Gaza onslaught grows. A trio of Western leaders threaten “concrete actions” if the assault and siege don’t stop. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich assures those decrying the limited aid that “we’re destroying Gaza.” An Israeli Army Radio correspondent reports that the planned location of aid distribution centers suggests a motive to expedite the evacuation of the Gazan population from the north to the south.
• May 20, 2025: Five truckloads of humanitarian aid enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
• May 20, 2025: Former Israeli lawmaker Yair Golan denounces Israel’s actions, stating the country is on the path to becoming a pariah state and that a sane state does not kill babies as a hobby or aim for population expulsion.
• May 20, 2025: Rep. Rashida Tlaib states that Israeli forces have begun a full-scale invasion to ethnically cleanse all Palestinians from Gaza and calls for sanctions and a full arms embargo.
• May 20, 2025: The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including extermination and forced starvation. Israel is also facing a genocide case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
• May 21, 2025: Students at Stanford University continue their hunger strike, with Vivian Ha writing an article on behalf of SAAAC explaining their reasons and demands.
• May 21, 2025: Students across California and the United States are engaging in hunger strikes to bring attention to the starvation in Gaza. San Francisco State University and Sacramento State students have recently ended their hunger strikes after achieving some commitments from their universities regarding divestment. A UCLA student activist is hospitalized on the 9th day of her hunger strike. Yalies4Palestine students meet with Yale College Dean amid their hunger strike demands.
• May 27, 2025: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports dozens killed and over 150 injured in Gaza in the past 24 hours due to continued bombardment and shelling. A school sheltering displaced people in Ad Daraj is hit, resulting in 36 reported deaths