What is Global Strike for Gaza, the online protest calling for economic boycott of Israel?

“We do what hurts them the most, stop the economy, khalas, it’s time for us to be loud to the amount that no news outlets or news media can neglect or ignore anything we are doing. On the 21st of August 2025, we’re going to stop the economy. Together we can make it,” she said in the video.

Economic boycott

Palestinian advocacy groups such as the Global Campaign to Stop the Genocide in Gaza and Humaniti Project also joined in the call for a global economic boycott, urging communities worldwide to withhold their money by not making any purchases and by delaying scheduled bank transactions.

According to the Humaniti Project, starting August 21, every Thursday will be observed as Global Strike for Gaza, to mobilize global communities, groups and unions in a bid to pressure international government action on Gaza.

“A one-off ‘strike day’ can make a political point, but sustained repetition – weekly or monthly – creates measurable patterns in economic data,”Humaniti Project said. “We are not seeking empty symbolism. We are seeking visible, measurable economic signals that show the world we are striking for Gaza,” the group added.

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza

More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched an unprecedented ground and air attack on Gaza in response to the Hamas terror attack. Israel’s strikes have devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, including houses, schools, hospitals and other facilities.

Israel also restricted the movement of food aid to Gaza, resulting in a famine-like situation there. According to Palestinian groups, 266 people, including 112 children, have so far starved to death in Gaza.

Palestinian children carry pots as they queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid shortages in food supplies, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip (Photo: Reuters)

In recent weeks, Israel has also come under heavy criticism for opening fire at Palestinian civilians queuing up for food aid distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed non-profit which replaced the United Nations as the main supplier of aid in Gaza.

Military operation to take over Gaza

With the Israeli military operation to take over Gaza City expected to start in the coming days, there is a growing fear that the humanitarian situation there could worsen further.

Israel is going ahead with its planned operation to temporarily take control of Gaza City, ignoring global criticism, including from Arab and European countries, who warn that the military operation could lead to more death, displacement and starvation.

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