14-year-old Jana Abdullah is boycotting Western brands as "Israel" attacks Gaza and kills its children, as part of the ongoing campaign trending on social media to boycott major brands, such as Starbucks, KFC, and Carrefour with profits pouring into the West and consequently "Israel", considering the "unwavering support" the West had vowed for "Israel".

"We have started to boycott all products that support Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians," Jana tells AFP, adding, "We do not want our money to contribute to more fighting". 

Part of the boycott campaign are browser extensions, dedicated websites, and smartphone apps that identify linked products. For instance, the Google Chrome extension, PalestinePact, blurs advertisements for products online if they are part of the list.

In other ways, giant billboards display blood-stained children like that in Kuwait City, asking, "Did you kill a Palestinian today?" taking a jab at those who still benefit "Israel"-linked products.

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Last month, McDonald's "Israel" franchise announced it was providing free meals to the Israeli occupational forces (IOF), which sparked outrage in the region.

"I don't think that me boycotting these brands would affect them."

Think again.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/rGkj8vVwKt

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2023

McDonald's Kuwait branch took to social media to say it "stands with Palestine" and pledged more than $160,000 to relief efforts in Gaza, while McDonald's Qatar also pledged $275,000 to relief efforts in Gaza, announcing it has nothing to do with the Israeli branch.

Starbucks has also taken a hit, as many groups and individuals in Lebanon have called to boycott it.

Bringing back local brands

Part of the boycott as well is not only product-linked. Ambassadors to "Israel" have also been recalled and expelled by multiple nations.

Turkey and Jordan recalled their ambassadors, Saudi Arabia announced a halt in normalization talks, while Honduras, Colombia, and Chile withdrew their ambassadors as well. Meanwhile, Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with "Israel" over the ongoing war crimes in Gaza.  

In South Africa last week, a National Day of Action took place in solidarity with Palestine during which protesters continued to urge the South African government to close the Israeli Embassy in South Africa and to implement legislation for a boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against "Israel".

In Egypt, a local and unpopular soda brand Spiro Spathis has now garnered fame again because of the boycott. Founded in 1920, the company recently received over 15,000 applications in a hiring round as a result.

However, the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce warned that it could negatively impact the country's economy as it said in a statement, "The impact on the Egyptian investors and tens of thousands of workers will be profound."

In Jordan, social media posts asked consumers not to "pay for bullets." A consumer, Abu Abdallah, told AFP in a grocery store looking at flavored milk, "Ah, this is made in Tunisia," with his four-year-old son Abdullah beside him.

"This is the least we can do for our brothers in Gaza," he said. "We must boycott."