First mass march in US against Israeli-imposed starvation of Gaza planned for Saturday in NY

A major demonstration in New York called "Stop starving Gaza" is planned for 16 August and is expected to draw protesters from across the country.

The "emergency mass march" is being organised following Israel's recent steps towards a full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, while Palestinians in the enclave continue to face starvation and deadly airstrikes.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes killed five journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which some advocates see as Israel's response to media documentation of the war.

"I think this is demonstration motivated by a sense of crisis and outrage that people are feeling around the world over the mass starvation crisis in Gaza," Walter Smolarek, media coordinator for ANSWER Coalition (which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), a protest umbrella group, told The New Arab.

"We're seeing a renewal of mass protests, and we're hoping this will be the case in New York City as well," he said. "The extreme nature of the starvation crisis is motivating people who haven't protested in the past."

So far, a broad coalition of more than a hundred organisations have signed up for the march, which will begin at 2 pm at Bryant Park on the steps of the New York Public Library. Activists are also organising buses different from cities to New York.

Protesters will be highlighting the role of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been accused of weaponising aid and delivering it in a way that has put Palestinian civilians in harm's way; the continued blockade of aid; and recent steps towards occupying the enclave.

"Trump has green lit this Israeli starvation regime, while the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has weaponised hunger instead of ending it. Now, reports show the United States is working with Israel to tie future aid to Israeli plans for full occupation," reads a statement by ANSWER Coalition on their website.

"People from across the country will take to the streets in massive numbers in NYC to show the world that the people of the United States will not allow this starvation to be waged in our name," reads a statement by Code Pink on the upcoming demonstration.

Since Gaza's hunger crisis caused by Israel began making international headlines last month, small daily protests have been taking place across the US. The march on Saturday is expected to be the first mass demonstration in the US focused on hunger in Gaza.

It is estimated that more than 200 Palestinians in Gaza have died of starvation, and more than a thousand have been killed by Israeli forces as they tried to collect food at aid distribution sites.

Since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, more than 62,000 Palestinians in the have been killed by the Israeli army.