Bisan Owda, pro-Palestine groups urge economic boycott, demonstrations in 'Global Strike for Gaza'

Pro-Palestinian activist groups are heeding calls by Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda for a global strike for Gaza, in response to Israel’s continued onslaught and starvation of the territory.

Leading advocacy groups such as the Global Campaign to Stop the Genocide in Gaza and Humaniti Project are echoing Owda’s calls for a global economic boycott, urging communities worldwide to withhold their money by not making any purchases and by delaying scheduled bank transactions.

The groups also urged people to avoid using public transport, refrain from purchasing any fuel and consider using personal leave instead of working on 21 August.

Earlier this week, Owda posted a video on her Instagram account slamming the international community for failing Gaza and its residents, who are struggling to find food and are fearful of Israel’s looming offensive of Gaza City’s neighbourhoods.

As she spoke of the injustice Palestinians are being subjected to in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Owda said: "And now you’ll ask me, what to do then Bisan?"

She continued: "We do what hurts them the most, stop the economy, khalas, it’s time for us to be loud to the amount that no news outlets or news media can neglect or ignore anything we are doing."

"The 21st of August 2025, we’re going to stop the economy. Together we can make it."

The 28-year-old is one of Gaza's well-known journalists, emerging as one of the territory’s most prominent on-the-ground reporters during the ongoing war. In 2024, Owda won an Emmy-award for her series on the Al Jazeera Media Network 'It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive'.

Humaniti Project said in response to her request: "We are listening to Bisan’s call – it’s time to escalate on a global level. When governments refuse to listen, we as a global collective, must strike where it hurts them the most: their economies."

"We are joining the call for a global economic strike to shake economies around the world".

The group also said it will mobilise global communities, groups and unions to strike and protest every Thursday beyond 21 August, in a bid to pressure international government action on Gaza.

"A one-off 'strike day' can make a political point, but sustained repetition – weekly or monthly – creates measurable patterns in economic data," the group stressed. "We are not seeking empty symbolism. We are seeking visible, measurable economic signals that show the world we are striking for Gaza," the group added.

Owda’s call was also echoed by Hamas, who urged a walk-out in protest against the ongoing onslaught, which has now killed over 62,000 Palestinians in nearly 23 months of war.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group said: "We call on the masses of our Arab and Islamic nations and the free people of the world to actively participate in the global strike in support of the Gaza Strip tomorrow, Thursday."

Hamas encouraged the strike to go beyond the planned one on Thursday, urging mass demonstrations in all four corners of the globe against Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, which have been described as a genocide and a deliberate starvation campaign aimed at wiping out the territory’s Palestinian population.

In their statement, Hamas also urged demonstrations and sit-ins in front of the embassies of the United States, Israel, and countries allied with Tel Aviv "until the Zionist aggression, siege, and starvation against our people in the Gaza Strip cease".

A host of other pro-Palestinian groups such as 'Teachers for Palestine,' 'Palestine Solidarity Campaign,' and 'No Azure for Apartheid' said they will take part, and urged others to follow suit.

A number of global strikes in solidarity with Gaza have been carried out since the start of the war on October 2023. On 11 December of the same year, Palestinian factions and activists urged a boycott and demonstrations in a bid to impact public life, in response to the UN's failure to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Strip.

One of the most recent boycott campaigns was held on 7 April of this year.