December 18, 2023

Fast for Gaza

by Lamia Abukhadra | in Mizna News

Fast for Gaza
December 21, 2023: Sunrise to Sunset
Continuing every Thursday until a permanent ceasefire is called

We have had enough.
This is a call to fast. 
Because we have had enough.

As Gaza is devastated by 

• The loss of countless lives
• The destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, archives, mosques, churches, and all allegedly safe spaces
• The blockade of humanitarian aid, food, water, electricity, and communication
• The silencing of voices on the ground and around the world

We are witnessing an unfolding catastrophe in real time, in some sense unprecedented because of new media. The toll is indescribable, incalculable, and indefensible. We are witnessing the Israeli military kill thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, displace nearly 2 million people, and destroy tens of thousands of homes. 

Israel has targeted and destroyed nearly all of Gaza’s medical facilities, killing and detaining hundreds of medical workers. 

Among the hundreds of thousands of homeless Gazans sheltering in tents or sleeping out in the open, we are witnessing starvation, dehydration, and the outbreak of several diseases due to the poor sanitary conditions.

If you have had enough, join us in this fast.

Fast for Gaza extends a global invitation to people of all faiths, and those who adhere to none, to abstain from food for one day in solidarity with the people of Gaza, and to break the fast together at sunset. The fast will continue every Thursday until a permanent ceasefire is called.

The tremendous violence incurred on the people of Gaza by Israeli occupation forces calls upon us to take a stand with the people of Gaza as they continue to face the cruelty of collective punishment and needless suffering.

While fasting invites empathy with the suffering of others, it also makes us aware of our material comforts and makes a public statement in an effort to create a change to current realities of violence and injustice.

• Donate to humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
• Refrain from spending on non-essential goods.
• Spread the word that, We have had enough.
• Write to government and business leaders demanding they recognize this tragedy and support an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
• Educate yourself on BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction), and join the boycott of goods that exploit Gaza and Palestine.
• Educate yourself on and join PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel).
• Read and share art, writing, films, and music by Gazan artists.
• Be in community with others who need, want, feel a conversation isn’t enough. 
• Make Gaza present.

If you have had enough, join us and ask others to join you. We are together with Gaza. By fasting, we pledge to commit to any of the following actions until permanent ceasefire.

On Fasting

Fasting is an ancient form of spiritual practice and peaceful dissent. Many different traditions, political movements, and religions practice fasting. People can abstain from food and water from dawn to sunset as in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan or as in the Jewish tradition. Others, from incarcerated people to antiwar and climate justice activists, have deprived themselves entirely to illustrate the magnitude of the violence and to affirm that their choices are either death or freedom. Others fast by abstaining only from food during a given time period. Fasting is not limited to abstention from food; it can also mean any significant withdrawal from some ordinary, daily activity (social media, entertainment, purchasing non-essential goods) in order to focus one’s attention on crucial issues and hardships faced by others. Fast for Gaza calls us to abstain for a given time period and to be in communion with others when breaking the fast.

If you would like to become a signatory, please fill out the form here.

Read the full press release

Access the media kit

Organizers

Elmaz Abinader
Lamia Abukhadra
Lana Salah Barkawi
Khaled Mattawa
Philip Metres
Glenn Shaheen

Mizna
RAWI