Demonstrators in Chapel Hill on Saturday July 12 held a vigil for humanitarian relief in Gaza. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)
With temperatures edging past 90 degrees by midday, faith leaders and community members gathered outside Binkley Baptist Church on Saturday in Chapel Hill, holding signs and silent prayers as part of a statewide solidarity fast to demand humanitarian aid for Gaza.
They stood beneath the July sun as an act of moral witness, urging U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to help ensure aid reaches civilians in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, where United Nations officials say Israeli restrictions have allowed only a fraction of necessary food and medical supplies to enter.
Mark Davidson, executive director of Voices for Justice in Palestine (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)“Palestinians say despair is betrayal,” said Mark Davidson, executive director of Voices for Justice in Palestine and one of the event’s organizers. “When we give up because it seems hard or depressing or hopeless, we’re abandoning people.”
The vigil marked the 35th day in a rolling statewide fast led by Jewish Voice for Peace-Triangle and supported by groups like Durham Friends Meeting, Bullhorn Arts and Education, and the NC Environmental Justice Network. Members fasted for 24-hour shifts in rotation, abstaining from food and water in symbolic solidarity.
“We’re not called to be successful, we’re called to be faithful,” Davidson said. “Do the right thing, and amazing things can happen.”
The gathering comes as the war in Gaza has left large parts of the territory flattened, and nearly 60,000 Palestinians killed, the majority of them civilians.
Israel launched its military response following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
Human Rights Watch have accused Israeli officials of using starvation as a weapon of war, a claim Israel denies.
Participants echoed those concerns. They called for Tillis, who co-chairs the Senate Human Rights Caucus, to back restoring U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and to push for halting additional weapons shipments to Israel.
Kate Lindrum, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Triangle. (Photo by Ahmed Jallow)“I would love for us to actually put that funding to the aid we’re claiming to try to put in,” said Kate Lindrum, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Triangle. “No matter how governments or politicians may want to spin it, people are out here, and you can’t just tell them to not believe their eyes.”
Organizers framed the event as both a spiritual act and a political one. Rev. Dr. Marcus McFaul, Binkley Baptist’s senior minister, described the vigil as an extension of the church’s core mission.
“Having food, shelter, and dignity is a moral issue,” McFaul said. “Churches deal in moral concerns and moral ethical issues.”
Binkley Baptist Church Senior Minister, Marcus McFaul (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)The event was notably multifaith, bringing together Christians, Jews, and secular activists. Organizers said Binkley Baptist is the largest faith community yet to join the NC to Gaza Solidarity Fast. Other participating groups include Makom Triangle, Farm Church, and Durham Community Fridges.
Davidson reminded those gathered of words from Nelson Mandela: “It’s impossible until it is done.”
The group plans to continue fasting in shifts throughout the summer, aiming to sustain public pressure and attention.
“This isn’t just for a week, it’s not even for a month, it’s not even for a year,” McFaul said, quoting late civil rights leader John Lewis. “It’s for the long haul.”
Hence then, the article about multifaith demonstrators call for humanitarian aid in gaza was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Multifaith demonstrators call for humanitarian aid in Gaza )
Also on site :
- Peter Alexander is leaving NBC after years of being passed over for top anchor jobs: source
- This Can't Miss Scenic Spot Just Under an Hour from Vegas Will Have You Feeling Like You're in Another World
- This Spring, Divest From Clutter to Reclaim Personal Productivity Like a Boss .. PYMNTS.com