Displaced Gazans thank US pro-Palestine student protesters with messages of appreciation

Displaced Palestinians in war-torn Gaza have expressed their thanks to students protesting in support of the devastated territory at US university campuses in recent days.

One Palestinian man, Abu Youssef Hamad, who has fled to Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, painted phrases on the city's tents showcasing his appreciation for the students, who have demonstrated and set-up encampments in a bid to protest against their universities’ links with Israel.

Among the phrases are "Thank you students in solidarity with Gaza, you messaged has reached", "Thank you students for [sic] Columbia" and "Thank you American universities".

The Palestinian man told the Turkish Anadolu agency: "There is no way to express our gratitude to the student protesters in America other than writing a letter of thanks to them for the displacement tents."

"We thank all the students who stood with us and expressed their solidarity as a result of the genocidal war taking place in Gaza," he added.

"We express our thanks to everyone who stands with us."

Hamad expressed his hope that students would continue their protests until Israel’s brutal war in Gaza ends.

Israel began its indiscriminate military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a surprise Hamas attack on October 7.

It has so far killed at least 34,454 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Israel has been accused of carrying out war crimes and a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza by global governments and rights groups.

UN agencies and NGOs have repeatedly warned of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where there is insufficient food and no clean water. Alarm has been raised over the spread of disease.

Over 1.4 million Palestinians are currently displaced in the southern city of Rafah and are mostly living in flimsy tents in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Pro-Palestinian student protests in the US have increased since Israel’s war in Gaza began. On April 18, over 100 students at New York's Columbia University were arrested for trespassing after erecting a solidarity encampment for Gaza.

The arrests, called for by the university's president Nemat Minouche Shafik triggered an outcry among activists and students.

Similar protests and encampments spread across institutions such as Arizona State University, Yale, the University of Dallas Texas and more, with hundreds of students arrested.