Students voice solidarity, outrage as conflict in Palestine escalates

As the sun set in Texas last Thursday, a somber crowd gathered beneath the university’s clock tower to mourn casualties of the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine. The vigil, led by the University of Texas at Austin’s Palestinian Solidarity Committee, was the second since Hamas’ breaching of Israel’s southern border in a deadly attack that shocked the world and launched the long-simmering conflict into a full-blown war.

The first of the two vigils was called at the last minute, said a member of the PSC, in response to the Oct. 17 bombing of Gaza’s al-Ahli hospital that reportedly killed over 500 civilians seeking shelter. Austinites of all stripes gathered the next day to hear Palestinian students reflect on the humanitarian crisis.

“These aren’t just people that we see online or in news headlines or read numbers about,” said one student speaker. “These are family members of people at your own university, and in your own communities. These are cousins that nobody got to meet – graves they’ll never get to visit.”

The weeks since Oct. 7 have seen an eruption of demonstrations across the globe demanding ceasefire, including several at Austin’s own Capitol building. In between these emphatic public statements, students took to the microphone at the steps of the UT plaza to share more personal feelings of horror, guilt and outrage.

“Right now my 17-year-old sister is in the West Bank; my brother who is only 9 years old is having to deal with this reality,” said one student. “The borders are only open for an hour a day … the airports are closed even in the West Bank, where there has been little to no resistance … and even my family’s situation is lucky – at least they’re in the West Bank and not in Gaza.”

As students shared stories and poetry, among other guiding words, attendees lit candles and laid offerings of lanterns and flowers at their feet. The crowd was already silent approaching a moment of remembrance for the thousands of men, women and children lost since the conflict began. Despite the sobering circumstance, some speakers unearthed glimmers of hope.

“In the past couple of weeks, I’ve witnessed this community mobilize every single day, hand in hand, in speaking out for the Palestinian people in ways I’ve never seen in my career as an organizer,” one speaker said. “I witnessed a young man on this campus raise $15,000 for Gaza in two days. I’ve seen the faces of students and staff alike who attend our Palestine 101 meetings to learn about the ongoing occupation … and although our administrators and elected officials may not stand with Palestine, we should all take pride in our resistance.”

This past Sunday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that over 8,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, had been killed in the weeks since the attack by Hamas. That number is expected to climb as Israel’s campaign of airstrikes continues.

“Although what we are seeing on the other side of the world is truly heartbreaking, the tide is actually turning,” said Imam Anwer of Nueces Mosque. “Every survey and study illustrates that the younger generation is supportive of the cause. So don’t give up, don’t falter.”

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