The 10-kayak New Haven Freedom Flotilla for Gaza brought watermelons to the beach at Lighthouse Point Park on July 12. It was a symbolic show of solidarity with the real Gaza Freedom Flotilla boats, which have tried to bring humanitarian relief to the two million Palestinians in Gaza – almost always without success and on one occasion resulting in the killing of 10 crew members by Israel. 

One boat – the Madleen – was boarded by Israel in international waters on June 8. The entire crew was arrested and deported from Israel, and its cargo impounded. It only garnered as much publicity as it did because the climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg was on board.

Another Flotilla ship, the Handala, was intercepted by Israel July 27 in international waters. Among the humanitarian supplies it was carrying was baby formula for starving babies in Gaza.

Besides raising awareness of the ongoing genocide there, the New Haven Freedom Flotilla was raising money for the World Central Kitchen (WCK). It had been feeding tens of thousands of starving Gazans until it was forced to stop for seven weeks due to Israel’s total blockade from March to May, after unilaterally breaking the second ceasefire since October 7. WCK started up operations in late June, but announced on July 20 that it was shutting down again because they had run out of supplies, since Israel is preventing 3,000 trucks from entering the territory.

Our kayakers paddled just outside the Lighthouse Point swimming area, eight of them each displaying a letter that spelled out FEED GAZA. We landed near the lighthouse where we were greeted by dozens of supporters, singing songs and holding banners that demanded, “Permanent Ceasefire Now,” “U.S.: Stop Arming Israel” and “Stop Starving Gaza – Stop ICE – Free Palestine.”

We shared watermelon and got acquainted, since many of us did not know each other and people had come after learning about the event from various lists and social media.

This was a unique action, and it was a local angle on a horrible international tragedy and crime, funded with our tax dollars. It was, therefore, newsworthy. I sent out the news advisory to the usual suspects, but didn’t get much pick-up. One TV station called to say they were planning to come, unless “breaking news” intervened. Then – guess what?! – “breaking news” intervened.

I guess the fact that Israel’s murderous assault on Gaza had been going on for 644 days at that point made it old news.

The confirmed death toll in Gaza so far is more than 58,000 souls, not counting all those buried in the rubble, with some estimates in the hundreds of thousands. And here’s an almost unbelievable twist. Since the U.S. stopped funding UNRWA – the U.N. agency responsible for meeting the needs of displaced Palestinians since 1947 – and since Israel kicked UNRWA out of Gaza, a new U.S.- and Israel-supported organization, the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is in charge of feeding the starving populace.

So far, according to the U.N., at least 875 Gazans have been killed trying to access food, the vast majority at the four sites operated by GHF. (UNRWA ran 400 community-based sites.) According to a report on the Israeli news site Ha’aretz, some Israeli soldiers have revealed that they were ordered to shoot to kill unarmed people who posed no threat. When Hamas and other fighters entered Israel on October 7, they massacred 736 Israeli civilians. So, more Palestinians have been killed trying to get food than Israeli civilians were killed on Oct. 7.

When Israel broke the ceasefire in March, I was filled with anger and despair. I’d been holding signs and banners since mid-October of 2023, but none of my messages seemed adequate to the enormity of Israel’s crimes. It came to me to make a sign that reads, “Palestinians are human.” It’s by far my most popular message. I get dozens of horn honks and thumbs up whenever I hold it at busy intersections. Someone even blew me a kiss.

The American people do not agree with sending billions in military aid to Israel to destroy Gaza. If you agree that two million people – including a million children – do not deserve to starve, you can help by donating to WCK. And if you think the more than $350 million from Connecticut taxpayers currently going to Israel to carry out its atrocities could be put to better use, contact your federal elected officials to demand that they turn off the spigot. And tell them to demand that Israel allow the trucks stuck at the border into Gaza.

Every day the death toll from starvation rises, one more proof of Israel’s genocidal intentions.

Melinda Tuhus lives in New Haven.