Children displaced by the war in Gaza and doctors thank pro-Palestinian demonstrators at American universities
Palestinian children raise signs of thanks for pro-Palestinian student solidarity initiatives at American and Canadian universities (Photo/AFP via Getty Images)
Children in displacement camps in the northern and central Gaza Strip on Wednesday expressed their gratitude to pro-Palestinian students on campuses across the United States who are protesting the war in Gaza.
A video recorded for CNN in a camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, shows several children holding signs bearing the names of American universities where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place in recent days, with the caption: “Thank you for your solidarity!”
Some had messages that read: “Your voices break through the wall of silence and reach the victims in Gaza,” and “Thank you to the brave students at American universities, thank you for your support of Gaza.”
Nadia Al-Debs, a mother whose children carried signs behind her, told CNN she was grateful to the “brave students” on American universities for their solidarity with Gaza and their call for a ceasefire.
He said, “The Arab population did not care about us, while the students of American universities felt with us the blood that was being shed, our buildings being bombed, and our children whose lives were destroyed… A thousand thanks to them.”
Aoun Khattab, one of the people displaced from Deir al-Balah, expressed his gratitude to American universities and called for continued protests for the sake of the Palestinian people.
He added, “I call on Arab and European universities to follow suit… to demand and call for an end to this war and a permanent ceasefire.”
In a separate event in Deir al-Balah, in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, doctors, nurses and medical staff also gathered to thank the war protesters in Gaza.
They carried banners with messages such as “Thank you to the students who support our cause,” “Thank you for your solidarity,” “United against genocide,” “Killing children must end,” and “Continue fighting for justice.” Other banners with university names.
Dr. Saad Abu Sherban told CNN that he came out to thank pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the United States. “When we saw our students from all over the world doing these things, we were very happy, because we believe that all over the world there are human beings who know what is happening here in Gaza right now,” he said.
Similar expressions of gratitude were seen on Wednesday in a video from the Jabalia displaced persons camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The children were seen carrying Palestinian flags and signs in Arabic that read: “My colleagues at Columbia University, we thank you for your support in stopping the crimes of the Israeli occupation” and “The Israeli occupation has destroyed our lives, stop the war so we can.” Resuming our education.”
Another banner bore the names of several American universities, including one in Paris, saying, “Continue the pressure to stop the war in Gaza.” Other banners thanked the countries of the Arab world for their “solidarity with Gaza.”
Young people gathered around each other, spoke into microphones and called for an end to the war in Gaza.
“Gaza university students lost an academic year of their lives… We want to send a message of thanks and gratitude to everyone who supported us and opposed the genocidal war in Gaza… who opposed injustice and defended freedom,” one child said.
He went on to say that they felt the impact of the protests, which “exposed the criminals” by putting pressure on the Israeli occupation.
He said, “We want you to continue your protests, and we need all students from all universities in the world to support us until the war stops… Thank you, we are very proud of you.”
Another child thanked students in the United States for their support, asking them not to stop until “the brutal war ends” and until “political and financial support for the criminal entity” ends.
He added, “We have the right to live freely like all other peoples in our country, which has its own borders, and to have our own universities and institutions without restrictions or sieges.”
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