On Tuesday, thousands of people across the US took to the streets to demand an end to hunger in Gaza.
The besieged enclave has seen elevated levels of hunger, with more than a hundred reported deaths in less than a week from malnutrition, in addition to Palestinians in Gaza being killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting in line at food distribution sites.
The nationwide demonstrations, which spanned coast to coast, were organised days beforehand, but saw high turnouts (more than a thousand) in major cities.
In San Francisco, protesters gathered near the Embarcadero Centre in the financial district and, holding signs in English, Spanish and Arabic, marched to the offices of the Boston Consulting Group, which recently had a contract, terminated at the end of May, with the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
"We are in a spot where Palestinians in Gaza are collapsing from hunger in the streets," Rami Abdelkarim, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, told The New Arab.
"It's the right of Palestinians to live a dignified life on their land. And how are they supposed to do that when they're not even able to access food, when they're being killed at the food sites?" he said.
“I feel like the starvation aspect of this genocide has really put it into perspective of people, especially parents. It's an issue that hits home for everyone right now,” he said.
Though BCG is no longer continuing its work in Gaza (and has denied direct involvement, instead blaming rogue ex-employees), demonstrators on Tuesday insisted that they should acknowledge accountability for their work in Gaza.
Protesters held signs reading: "Feed Gaza Now", "Gaza Genocide Foundation" (in reference to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation), "Stop Starving Gaza" and "BCG Kills".
Standing in front of BCG’s offices, speakers took turns sharing updates on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The hunger crisis in Gaza is considered one of the worst of its kind in the world. According to the United Nations, the vast majority of the enclave’s residents are facing extreme hunger. Many have reached the point of irreversible health damage due to lack of nutrition.
"There's the real possibility that there could be mass death due to starvation. The situation is too dire for us to sit back and watch it happen," Sami Halimy, an organiser with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, told TNA.
"Everyone is trying to figure out how else we can apply pressure, so it’s really important that we continue to do actions like this and apply pressure, especially on US companies," he said, referring to the Boston Consulting Group.
"It's important that we hold all responsible parties accountable, and a lot of times that’s not just governments," he said, pointing to corporations that profit from conflict. "It's really important that we call out not just our governments, but the billionaires and the corporations that are also shaping government policy."
At the same time, Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday met with Mahmoud Khalil—the former Columbia University Palestine defender recently imprisoned by the Trump administration.
Sanders posted a photo with a caption, saying, "I met with Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student at Columbia University, who was imprisoned for 104 days by the Trump administration for opposing [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's illegal and horrific war in Gaza. Outrageous. We must not allow [US President Donald] Trump to destroy the First Amendment and freedom to dissent."