Using what limited means of expressions are left in the blockaded territory, where Israeli attacks have killed over 34,400 people, Palestinian man Abu Youssef Hamad wrote in English on his tent: "Thank you students in solidarity with Gaza. Your message has been received."
Speaking to media, Hamad, 43, said Palestinians in Gaza had "no way to express our gratitude to the students protesting in America other than writing a letter of thanks on our tents.""We thank all the students who stood with us and expressed their solidarity as a result of the genocidal war taking place in Gaza," he added."Thank you, American universities," was written on another of the tents set up in the southern city of Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced people from other parts of the enclave have sought refuge.Hamad added: "We express our thanks to everyone who stands with us."He urged students to continue the demonstrations "until the devastating Israeli war that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 ends."Students at Columbia University in New York City launched a campus sit-in on April 18 to protest their school's continued financial ties to companies supporting Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and the genocide in Gaza.Pro-Palestinian student demonstrations have since spread to other leading US universities, including California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt; University of California, Berkeley; University of Southern California; University of Texas at Austin; Yale University; University of Minnesota - Twin Cities; Swarthmore College and University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania; University of Rochester in New York; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Tufts University; and Emerson College; Emory University; and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.Israel has waged a brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.Nearly 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,400 injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.Tel Aviv is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Israel to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.