On Thursday, a coalition of military veterans, religious and humanitarian organizations commenced a 40-day Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza in New York City, organized by Veterans For Peace along with 28 co-sponsoring organizations. The fast officially kicked off with a news conference at 10:00 am, at the Isaiah Wall near the United Nations headquarters in New York City, moving to the U.S. Mission to the UN, where the fast will be conducted from May 22 to June 30.

The fast was organized in response to Israel’s final deadly assault to empty Gaza of its people by starvation and exile. A statement from the fasters condemned the genocide, saying, “We are horrified and outraged that Israel is using starvation as a war tactic in clear violation of international law, and we condemn our government’s complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The fasters’ demands are twofold: (a) full humanitarian aid to Gaza under UN authority and (b) no more U.S. weapons to Israel.

Veterans For Peace members fasting in New York include:

• Joy Metzler (23, Cocoa, Florida), co-founder of Serivcemembers For Ceasefire, USAF Academy 2023 graduate, who left the Air Force and became a conscientious objector, citing U.S. aggression in the Middle East and the continued ethnic cleansing in all of Palestine and massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.
• Phil Tottenham: (47, Toledo Ohio), Marine Corps veteran, VFP member, descendant of “Old 300” original Texas settlers. Took a sledgehammer to apartheid wall in the West Bank. 
• Kathy Kelly (72, St. Charles, Illinois), VFP associate and Board President of World BEYOND War; defied economic sanctions against Iraq by traveling there, with medicines, 27 times; lived in Iraq throughout the “Shock and Awe” bombing; lived with families in Gaza, Jenin, and Lebanon during past U.S. supported Israeli operations. Helped coordinate the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal.
• Mike Ferner (74, Toledo, Ohio), former VFP director; Navy corpsman 1969-73; member of Toledo City Council 1989-93. Participated in a 35-day water-only fast to protest the invasion of Iraq, 2006. Author ofInside the Red Zone: A Veteran For Peace Reports from Iraq. Mike is currently being treated for Gleason-10 prostate cancer.
• Ken Ashe (Asheville, North Carolina)
• Russell Brown (Buffalo, New York)

The UN fasters are limited to 250 calories per day, recently reported as the average intake for people in Gaza. Yesterday, UN Humanitarian Chief, Tom Fletcher, said 14,000 babies could die in Gaza within the next 48 hours.

In solidarity, people around the U.S. and beyond will participate by fasting for as many days as they can. To date, 249 people have registered for the fast. Friends of Sabeel North America is maintaining the list of fasters.

READ MORE: The Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza hunger strike has been covered in The Guardian and on Pressenza.

You are invited to join this courageous action!

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