As Israel completed its nearly 3-month blockade of all humanitarian aid into Gaza, risking widespread famine among 2.3 million Palestinian residents, growing international condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s weaponization of food and medicine pressured him to allow a trickle of aid to enter Gaza. But according to the International Rescue Committee, the aid permitted in is entirely inadequate to address the crisis where one in five Palestinians in Gaza face starvation.
Chaos and Israeli gunfire erupted on May 27 as thousands of starving Palestinians rushed a food distribution center run by a newly-created and controversial Israeli-U.S. aid organization, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. At least three people died and nearly 50 were injured. Two days earlier, the group’s director resigned, declaring that the operation could not fulfill its mission in a way that adhered to the principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.” The U.N. and other humanitarian aid organizations have rejected the Israeli-backed food distribution system.
On May 22, a coalition of military veterans, religious and humanitarian aid groups launched a 40-day Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza at United Nations headquarters in New York City. The nearly 250 participants in the fast across the U.S. plan to consume less than 250 calories a day, mirroring the average daily food intake of Gaza residents. Those fasting are demanding full humanitarian aid to Gaza under UN authority and that no more U.S. weapons are sent to Israel. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Vietnam veteran Russell Brown of Buffalo, New York, who talks about why he decided to participate in the 40-day fast.
RUSSELL BROWN: Gaza. There’s something about it that’s so intense. In other wars we tried to hide the atrocities. In this war, they’re blatantly
showing what they’re doing. They’re starving, shooting children, targeting children. Targeting doctors, targeting news people, just wiping them out you know. And all that stuff that they’re doing is I don’t know how anybody could think it’s okay. And then and on top of that, now, since March 2nd they decided that they’re going to stop shipments of food even though there’s thousands of trucks out there.
When I heard yesterday they were allowing 105 trucks, but it would take over 500 trucks a day to feed the people and give them medical care that they need. To me, it’s a no-brainer. I mean, not that I think that that’s the perfect thing, but I’ve been sitting around as many of my friends, ask what do we do to stop this?
Because, you know, we talked to our elected officials. We’ve done this. We’ve demonstrated, we’ve been here, we’ve gotten arrested and things, you know, do all these different things that we’ve done to protest what the U.S. government is doing. If we didn’t supply weapons, the money, it wouldn’t be happening. And this is where they try to conflate Zionism with antisemitism, you know, and it has nothing to each other.
But, it’s their way of attacking anybody that comes out against what’s going on — they call it antisemite. But we know what’s happening.
And, for years, many years, I have sleepless nights sometimes. Periods of time when all I can think about is some wars that are going on, about the people that I was at war with and about the people that we’re at war with now and all the injustice in the world.
And I was getting better 10 to 15 years ago, you know, and able to sleep more. But then this Gaza stuff — it really just reminds me of everything about Vietnam, only even more so because here they’re actually trying to annihilate a people. They are trying to eliminate, exterminate Palestinians. That’s my view, anyhow.
But the interesting thing is that I’ve only been here since last week, which today is day five. Since I’ve been here, I don’t have those nightmares. I mean, I would wake up with horrible things about the war, and, stuff like that. I guess just because I feel like I’m doing something and, you know, love and compassion for the people that have been executed and killed.
And I really feel some love and compassion for them, you know, and anyhow. I rambled a little bit.
SCOTT HARRIS: I know Russell, that’s very powerful what you what you talked about connecting your experiences in Vietnam to the trauma that you’re seeing unfold for another people in Gaza. I did want to ask you a little bit about the fast itself. As I understand it, you and the other folks who are participating in this 40-day fast are limiting the calories you take each day to about 250 calories, mirroring the average daily caloric intake for Gaza’s residents.
Tell us a little bit about that. I’m not sure listeners can envision what 250 calories is or isn’t.
RUSSELL BROWN: You know, I came across the thing that amazed me. I purchased a samosa. I don’t know if you know what a samosa is.
SCOTT HARRIS: Yeah, I do. Yeah.
RUSSELL BROWN: One little samosa. It was 260 calories. So if I were to, buy one, that would be my only meal for 24 hours if I broke a piece off.
SCOTT HARRIS: Wow, that’s not much.
RUSSELL BROWN: I mean, that to me was good picture. But, you know, I’m having no problem doing it because I really care about the people. I care about the issue. And I don’t know that it’s going to have an impact.
SCOTT HARRIS: Russell, I did want to ask you as we conclude here, what would you like to see accomplished by this fast after 40 days pass?
RUSSELL BROWN: I’d like to see the accomplishments before the 40 days. However, two main things to me: The first thing is that they should end the blockade and allow food and medical and, you know, they should stop killing everybody. But the second thing is, the U.S. — they’re responsible. They’re in violation of major laws, violations that the State Department is committing because we’re not following our own laws.
So I would like them to stop funding Israel. That’s really important. If they stop funding, Israel, they’re not going to be able to do what they’re doing on U.S. money. I wish people would really give a hard time to their congresspeople and senators and let them know.
For more information, visit Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza at fosna.org/2025gazafast.
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