This campaign is not just a protest; it is a living, breathing act of love and resistance.β It is a collective, nonviolent hunger strike initiated by Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals in the West Bank, standing in solidarity with Gaza amid what they describe as systemic starvation and genocide .
Who Are the Organizers?
Mai Shahin, a Palestinian from the West Bank, and David Ginati, who descends from an Israeli father and a German mother, co-founded the campaign under the banner of SATYAM, a center for unity and truth .
They began their indefinite hunger strike on June 16, 2025 from Beit Jala in the West Bank .
What Are Their Goals?
They demand the following urgent actions:
Entry of sufficient food, clean water, and medical aid into Gazaβtargeting around 2,297 tons of food to meet daily needs (~2,100 kcal per person) .
A permanent ceasefire.
Independent assessment by international experts, particularly from OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and WHO, to evaluate Gazaβs humanitarian conditions .
How Are They Taking Action?
Their strike is embodied solidarityβrefusing to eat while Gaza starves, as an act of conscience and shared humanity .
They organize daily Zoom meetings, vigils, gatherings, and outreach, connecting via YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok .
The campaign also supports community resilience, such as providing clean water, trauma healing, and strengthening women-led resistance, promoting art, storytelling, and collective expression as tools of nonviolent resistance .
How Is the Movement Growing?
It has become a global movement, rooted in the West Bank and Gaza, but expanding internationally, including solidarity actions, stories, and media shared worldwide .
Updates show ongoing hunger strike milestones, such as:
Day 42 (July 27, 2025): Co-founders reached 42 days without food and hosted solidarity events in Jaffa with the Handala Freedom Flotilla .
Day 54: David Ginati was hospitalized in Berlin after seven weeks of hunger strike, indicating the intensity and personal cost of the protest .
Day 62 (around August 16, 2025): The strike continued amid growing physical weakness, yet maintaining a sharp spiritual and moral resolve .
Why Does It Matter?
The campaign strives not just to halt violence and starvation, but to restore dignity, justice, and shared humanity across deeply divided communities .
It transcends traditional protest by embodying nonviolent resistance through the body itselfβa spiritual and strategic act that insists: βTheir hunger is ours. Until Gaza eats, we wonβt.β