A call for bold action from the Gaza flotilla
As flotilla vessels continue the journey to Gaza in defiance of Israel, volunteers and their loved ones encourage a “litany of actions” in solidarity with Palestine.
Mehk Chakraborty wrote about the role of mutual aid as Israel waged war on Lebanon earlier this month. This included online networks through message rooms and networks on the ground. We spoke with Mehk about her experience reporting and the importance of the story as Israeli bombardment continues, despite the ceasefire.
After more than a month on strike, 15,000 nurses in the New York State Nurses Association across the Montefiore, New York-Presbyterian, and Mount Sinai hospitals have reached new contracts. Their key demands included safe staffing ratios, workplace violence protections, safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, and fair healthcare benefits. The strike campaign also highlighted the significant wealth gap between nurses and hospital administration. Swipe through to see just how much more the hospital CEOs are making and how the gap keeps growing. See the story at the link in my bio.
In an interview with Waging Nonviolence, Rabbi Cat Zavis spoke about the article she recently co-wrote with Rae Abileah, and reflected on the harrowing echoes between the current ICE crackdown in Minneapolis and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Footage and images from Minneapolis shared by Zavis.
Interviewed by Claudia Gohn @claudiagohn
In September, I traveled to Somalia as a research assistant on a project looking into the impacts of Soviet assistance and training for Somali security forces and the personal experiences of those who underwent Soviet education and military training. I visited Mogadishu and Garowe, where I met the kindest people and ate the most delicious food!
This is Fadi Ibn Salem, a Palestinian and father from Gaza now located in Cairo. He has struggled to find medication for his son, Osaid, who suffers from epilepsy. Osaid has had epilepsy for years and relies on medicine to control his seizures, as well as accompanying neurological disabilities.
When Osaid was diagnosed as a young child, it was the first day of Ramadan. “All of a sudden he froze and he got really, really cold,” Fadi told me.
Fadi rushed his son to a hospital. Osaid was diagnosed with epilepsy and brain atrophy. In the following years, Fadi met with different doctors to help maintain his son’s medication and keep his epilepsy stable with as few seizures possible.
After October 7, 2023, they evacuated from the border of the strip into Khan Younis, where Fadi began looking for medications for Osaid. He obtained about a month’s stock of medicine. But as the genocide continued, so did the dwindling of his son’s health, along with the amount of medicine he had.
Now Ibn Salem, his wife, and two children Osaid and Maria are in Cairo where Osaid can access treatment and medicine. But though it is easier for Osaid to get medical attention, including scans, tests, and medicine for his condition, he still struggles to access these financially.
Like Ahmed (in my previous post), Fadi turned to the internet for financial help. His gofundme is in his social media bios.
Here are some pictures Fadi sent me of him and his kids.
Last night, a ceasefire was announced in Gaza. After watching Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people unfold over the past two years, this announcement hopefully brings the horror to an end. For nearly two years, I have spoken with and learned from Ahmed AbuSalama, who lives with epilepsy and is unable to walk. On top of forced starvation and displacement, he has struggled to obtain medication and healthcare. Ahmed still needs support for treatment. Here are some images he sent me of what his life has been like, and a tweet I posted following my reporting on Palestinians with epilepsy.
The WHO and UNWRA have both identified the devastating state of the healthcare system in Gaza. Hospitals have been destroyed, cleaning and sanitary supplies are hard to come by, and healthcare workers have been targeted and killed. I spoke with Dr. Belal Dabbour, a neurologist now in Deir Al-Balah after fleeing Northern Gaza, last summer, who recalled seeing many cases that would have been treatable in the past, now causing deaths—including epilepsy.
Like many other Palestinians struggling with epilepsy, disabilities, and displacement, Ahmed has turned to social media to raise funds to obtain medication, healthcare, and food—crucial to controlling his epilepsy. Only months into the genocide, he posted medications he was looking for on his Twitter. Now, he is raising funds through Gofundme—again, like so many Palestinians in Gaza. He’s put the link to his fundraiser in his bio.
NYPD arrested over 70 pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, after they refused to leave the main library building on campus.
Exclusive via @claudiagohn
Housing Rights Protesters Fight Against Predatory Landlords:
Tenants unions and organizations protest The Real Estate Board of New York’s Gala, dubbing the rally a “People’s Gala.”
Read the full story by @claudiagohn at the link in our bio.
Collective Action In a Second Trump Term:
The Protect Our Future rally in NYC was led by different organizations across the city, as well as younger protesters who will soon see their first full-term Trump presidency as activists.
Read the full story by @claudiagohn at the link in our bio.
In August, I followed the jail support team working behind the scenes of the Summer of Heat on Wall Street protests. With the campaign now concluded, I’m highlighting the essential role these volunteers played, offering critical support to more than 700 arrests during the demonstrations. Their work underscored the importance of mutual aid in sustaining the protests and ensuring the well-being of those on the front lines. Read the story in Grassroots Magazine @grassroots.nyc
