UCLA student hospitalized after hunger strike for Gaza

According to Al Jazeera, hunger strikes in support of Gaza are spreading across U.S. universities as Palestinians face a humanitarian crisis.

A UCLA student was hospitalized after a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who are on the brink of famine following an 11-week siege by the Israeli regime, blocking food, water, and humanitarian aid.

Maya Abdullah, a 23-year-old Palestinian-Lebanese film studies student, was hospitalized on May 18 after fainting on the ninth day of her hunger strike, during which she was pressuring her university to cut financial ties with Israel.

In an Instagram video, she said: “On the ninth day of my hunger strike, I unexpectedly fainted at the university and had to be urgently taken to the hospital.”

“Before I passed out, I was walking in a protest and felt dizzy, but I didn’t think I was going to faint. When we reached the campus, I walked for 10 minutes before collapsing. I was very lucky to be with my friends, who immediately called an ambulance.”

Abdullah said that UCLA’s administration did not respond to the news of her hospitalization. She described the hospitalization and the lack of communication from the university administration as “disappointing.”

However, she believed her journey was a step toward students achieving their goals.