Yale University graduate students have initiated a hunger strike to protest against the institution’s investments in companies that provide "Israel" with arms and military equipment amid its months-long genocidal war on Gaza.

Jesse Goldblum, representing two of the 12 Palestinian organizers set to go on a hunger strike at Yale, read in a statement at a press conference addressed to Yale President Peter Salovey, "We want to acknowledge our position as Yale University students adopting these revolutionary tactics, and we emphasize that in doing so, we wish to amplify and draw attention to the ongoing plight of Palestinians."

The hunger strike of some members of the Yale Graduate Students for Palestine group is set for Saturday, April 13. The group of 12 students engaging in this revolutionary act of support for Palestine have named themselves Hunger Strikers for Palestine, according to their statement. 

The letter urged the University to divest from weapons manufacturers involved in the Israeli occupation's genocidal war against the Gaza Strip. The students set Friday as the deadline after which they are to begin their hunger strike.

"We must look at the privileges and access and opulence of our university with disgust and shame," Goldblum's statement read.

According to an organizer who preferred not to be named due to fears of reprisal, the hunger strike group is primarily made up of Graduate Students for Palestine members, with the possibility of some undergraduates also participating.

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On their part, a Yale spokesperson said, in response to Yale News’ request for comment, that "Yale is steadfastly committed to free expression and the right to peaceful protest, values that are foundational to our academic community."

With concern for the hunger strikers, it was revealed that a team of volunteer nurses and doctors from the institution have pledged to support the protesters.

Miguel Monteiro, a Ph.D. student in Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, told the New Haven Independent that "whatever it is that we might put ourselves through is something that can be stopped at any time," before adding, "We have medical protection, it’s our own choice — it’s a drop in the ocean to what’s being inflicted upon Gaza. We hope that this small act of self-sacrifice will help not only the Yale Corporation but the larger world community to pay attention."

Hunger strikes for famine-hit Gaza

A 26-year-old airman, currently on leave from his overseas duty station, has initiated a hunger strike outside the White House in protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Inspired by Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the United States Air Force who tragically set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., in protest against the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, Senior Airman Larry Hebert, an integrated avionics journeyman from New Hampshire stationed at Naval Station Rota in Spain, commenced his hunger strike at midnight on April 1.

Western media has assumed the role of a defense attorney for "Israel".

Through its narrative construction, it has adeptly portrayed the oppressor, "Israel", as a victim in disguise, blurring the lines between truth and deception. Consequently, what transpires is not merely a… pic.twitter.com/udtodwvb1v

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 28, 2024

In an interview for Military.com, Hebert, who has served for six years, expressed his intent to sustain the hunger strike, consuming only water and a juice supplement, for as long as he physically can.
 
"I don't have a stop or an end for it right now," Hebert said during the phone interview. "I'm going to go until my body cannot go any longer or we get the cease-fire and the end of unconditional aid to Israel."

Read more: Canadian students hunger-strike, urge McGill to divest from 'Israel'