DU students rally against Gaza airstrikes
As the sun dipped below the horizon Tuesday evening, Dhaka University’s Raju Memorial Sculpture became a hub of defiance.
Students, breaking their Ramadan fast, erupted in protest against Israel’s deadly airstrikes in Gaza—over 400 Palestinians killed, they say, in a brutal violation of a ceasefire.
Their voices thundered demands: Muslim nations deploy troops to shield Gaza, and the International Criminal Court haul Israeli leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, to justice.
The rally, sparked after iftar, pulsed with fury from a group already 34 days into a sit-in to ban the Awami League and its allies. Now, their focus swung to Gaza. Slogans pierced the air—“Why attack during Ramadan, Netanyahu must answer!” “Why strike in ceasefire, Israel explain!” “Liberate Palestine, down with Israel!”—a litany of outrage aimed at Israel, the U.S., and a silent world.
Sayyed Qutb, artist and joint convener of the National Revolutionary Council (NRC), lit the fuse. “Trump brokered a ceasefire, luring Palestinians back to Gaza’s ruins,” he charged.
“Then, last night, Israel struck—Khan Younis, Rafah, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah—a Ramadan massacre.” His voice rose: “This isn’t just Muslims under fire—it’s the world, bleeding from colonial Israel’s claws.” He urged Bangladesh’s interim government to roar against the “genocide” unfolding.
Abdul Wahed, convener of the Revolutionary Students’ Council, doubled down. “Israel’s broken the truce to seize Gaza—Trump’s blueprint,” he declared. “We call on Muslims globally to stand with Gaza’s helpless.”
NRC joint convener Abdus Salam, central member Tamim Anwar, DU branch joint convener Ghulam Nur Shafayetullah, and Kazi Ashiq also spoke at the demonstration. Their protest wasn’t just noise; it was a dare—to Muslim states, to The Hague, to Dhaka’s own halls of power.
For these students, Gaza’s toll—400 lives in a sacred month—ignites more than anger; it’s a call to rewrite the script. Troops on the ground, warlords in cuffs, a free Palestine—they’re not whispering hopes but shouting demands. As night cloaked DU, their chants lingered: will the world listen, or let Gaza burn?
