Thousands of miles away from the campus protests that divide Americans, displaced Palestinians express their gratitude to students for their solidarity.

Palestinians write messages of gratitude and support for the pro-Palestinian student movement on tents in the southern city of Rafah, where about a million displaced people have sought refuge from Israeli bombardment, the New York Times reports.

“Thank you, American universities,” read one message captured on video. “Thank you students for your solidarity with Gaza, your message has reached” us, another message reads.

Tensions have risen on college campuses in the United States, with police arresting hundreds of people as clashes between police and pro-Palestinian protesters take place at several American universities.
Protesters have called on universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Palestinians “are very happy that there are still people standing with us,” said Mohammed al-Baradei, a 24-year-old who recently graduated from Al-Azhar University’s dental department, who spoke by phone from Rafah.

“The special thing is that this is happening in America and that people there are still aware and awareness is growing every day about the Palestinian cause,” he added.

Akram al-Satri, a 47-year-old freelance journalist sheltered in Rafah, said Gazans were “watching with hope and gratitude the student movement in the United States.”

“For us this is a ray of hope at the national level,” he added in a voice message on Wednesday.

Bisan Owda, a 25-year-old Palestinian documenting the war on social media, said in a video she shared to her more than 4.5 million Instagram followers that the campus protests gave her hope.
“I’ve lived my whole life in the Gaza Strip and I’ve never felt hope like I do now,” Ms Owda said.