IOF bulldozers drove into patients and displaced people at Kamal Adwan Hospital. This happened less than 24 hours ago (12/16/23). More war crimes, cruel and inhumane acts of terror, and systematic pursuits of violence. HOSPITALS -they keep targeting, attacking, brutalizing, and killing people at places of refuge -spaces of healing and safety. If this was happening in the US, Canada, Australia -anywhere in Europe, there would be beyond public outrage. And people STILL think the IOF is justified? This has never been about Hamas or hostages. They are destroying Gaza and killing Palestinian people for their zionist agenda. Watching this video is horrifying, like the so many we have seen.

End the occupation, free all Palestinian prisoners, ceasefire immediately and permanently, and FREE PALESTINE!

⚠️tw: violence, terror⚠️

Reclaiming Roots: Mimi's Fight for Palestinian Identity and Justice

During Land Day on March 30, 2024, standing on the back of a truck, a microphone in her hand, a Palestinian keffiyeh covering her hair, Mimi chanted for the freedom and ceasefire of Palestine: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free".

Mimi is a Palestinian activist living in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area. She was at the march in remembrance of the Palestinian Land that commemorated the event of March 30, 1976. Mimi said: "Land Day is a day that commemorates Palestinian resistance to the Zionist occupation of our land. An announcement came that the Zionist regime was going to steal thousands of dunams of land from the territories of Palestine. And so Palestinians struck and organized and protested against this decision and on this day, six Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured."

Land Day also coincides with the Great March of Return that begins on March 30, 2018. This date marks a series of protests and demonstrations held in the Gaza Strip to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their ancestral homes and lands in what is now Israel. For months, Palestinians have gathered at the fence that separates them from Israel. Mimi said: "Two hundred and thirty Palestinians were killed, tens of thousands were injured. And yet this day is about resistance. It's about commemorating those who came before us and those who will come after us as well, and paved the path for us to be able to resist in all forms against our oppressors, against the occupation, for the right of return of all Palestinian refugees in the diaspora, no matter where they are in the world."

She links the commemoration and resilience to the situation of Gaza today: "We're also here today to demand an immediate and permanent cease-fire, for the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners, to lift the brutal siege on Gaza, to end all U.S. aid to the Zionist state and to end the year-long occupation of Palestine."

Mimi connects her activism with her family's heritage: " My ancestors fought for their land and they paved this path for me. Being in the diaspora, being somebody whose grandfather was uprooted from his land, who was displaced, who has not seen his homeland since the 1960s.. "

She roots her activism as part of her identity: "It's important for me to reclaim that part of him (her grand-father) and part of myself and part of my heritage and my identity to fight for my people in Palestine, to fight against the oppressive systems … It's my responsibility, not just as a Palestinian, not just as an Arab, not just as a Muslim, but just as a human being who believes that liberation for Palestine means liberation for us all.

Moreover, as a phoenix that's reborn from its ashes, Mimi, even after being separated from her ancestor's land and her community and culture does not give up and it strengths her, even more, to fight: "I feel this push to organize more and this pressure to bring in all of the Palestinian diasporas that are in the West that have been disconnected from their culture and bring them into politics, educate them about our heritage, about our identity, about our revolutionaries, our thinkers, our academics."

Mimi finds her force to organize and advocate thanks to her roots: "It's that connection to the land that keeps me going. It's the connection to our olive trees, our citrus trees. It's the connection to, just how holy our land actually is. Connection to the sea. And just again, the connection to everything that my grandfather was uprooted from."

Emotionally, she narrates her travel to her native land that happened last year, " It was my first time back home and it was the most beautiful experience of my life. It's something that I'll never forget, to see where I came from, to see where my ancestors walked, to see Yaffa (يَافَا), which is now colonized, to just walk the same path that my ancestors did."

This travel made her activism and conviction stronger and pushed her to organize more in the U.S.: "It was a very beautiful moment, but it also exposed me to the on-ground harsh reality of the Zionist occupation and pushed me to do more when I came back here."

By Rachelle Papillon

Photo by Rachelle Papillon ( It's NOT copyright-free pictures)

Link 'It’s Bisan From Gaza, I’m Still Alive After Six Months Of Bombing' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK7oytWs7vQ

330 LGBTQ+ artists pledge not to perform in Israel until a Gaza ceasefire occurs

A group of 330 queer artists have signed a letter pledging not to perform or participate in public events in Israel until a permanent ceasefire is achieved in the Isreal-Palestine conflict in Gaza, and Palestine is “free.” The letter fits the massive number of Palestinian deaths and Israeli attacks on the country’s healthcare and public utilities. Over 20,000 Palestinians, Israelis, and foreign nationals have been killed in Gaza since the military conflict re-ignited on October 7, according to The Washington Post and Al Jazeera News. Many of the Palestinian deaths have been of civilian women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry of Palestine. Related: To end the cycle of violence between Israel & Palestine, we must impose a ceasefire on blame We must not use the past to justify surrendering to the supposed impossibilities posed by seemingly irreconcilable and intractable differences. “We were devastated to witness the loss of innocent Israeli lives on October 7th,” the artists’ public letter — located at QueerArtistsForPalestine.org — begins. “And we have been devastated, and called to action, watching Israel carry out its assault on innocent civilians in Gaza every single day since.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our daily newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Promotions (occasional) * Week in Good News (one on the Weekend) * Week in Review (one on the Weekend) * Daily Brief (one each weekday) * Sign Up “The UN reports that almost 2 million Palestinians, 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced from their homes,” the letter continues. “They are living in unsafe shelters without access to food, water, or basic healthcare. As winter nights get colder, disease is spreading. Gaza is past the point of collapse – the UN has described its state as ‘apocalyptic.’ We say enough.” The artists say they wish to honor “radical histories of queer activism and self-expression, which stand opposed to violent systems like apartheid and military occupation” by challenging Israel’s “pinkwashing” of its “brutal” military occupation and policies against Palestinians. Pinkwashing, when applied to Israel, refers to the country’s representation of itself as a gay haven amid a dogmatically anti-LGBTQ+ Middle East. This representation often serves as a pretext for Western policies against Israel’s neighboring countries and domestic citizens. “Palestinians remind us that none of us are free until we are all free. That ‘queer liberation is fundamentally tied to the dreams of Palestinian liberation: self-determination, dignity, and the end of all systems of oppression.’ We will continue to speak out for Palestine, to educate ourselves, and to uplift Palestinian voices. Our queerness, and our humanity, demand that we do so,” the letter concludes. Some of the better-known performers who signed the letter include Angelica Ross, JD Samson, Hari Nef, Indya Moore, Sasha Velour, The Vixen, and Tommy Dorfman. It’s unclear how many of the artists have previously performed or were expected to perform in Israel. While 24 Democratic Congress members have also called for a ceasefire, a bipartisan majority of House members supported a late October resolution supporting Israel. President Joe Biden’s support for Isreal and continued funding of its military has caused him to lose support amongst progressive voters. http://dlvr.it/T0bWqv