LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While the Israel-Hamas war rages on, a Louisville woman is drawing attention to the issue.

In December, she went on a hunger strike, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

What You Need To Know

  • A Louisville woman is drawing attention to the Israel-Hamas war

  • In December, she went on a hunger strike

  • The activist says she's calling for a ceasefire

  • Her hunger strike lasted 18 days

“The resumption of the bombing was merciless,” said Deanna Rushing, an activist.

She knew she needed to do something more than a protest when she saw an article on Dec. 1 about the war.

“It had to be me putting myself at risk in solidarity with the people of Gaza,” Rushing said.

So for the next 18 days, the 63-year-old went on a hunger strike.

“It might have been an experiment in what I actually need to live because I felt very, very gluttonous as an American with what was happening in Gaza,” Rushing said.

She showed Spectrum News 1 her log, documenting the liquids she consumes and asked not to show the log to prevent giving ideas to others.

“I was struggling to get 400 calories a day,” Rushing said.

While she went on a hunger strike, other activists supported her in different ways to draw attention to the ongoing war.

“I’m the only one that was on the hunger strike. I just had a support team of over 40 people. We have 43 people telling me what they were giving up that day,” Rushing said.

Living far from the war in the Middle East, she said this is her way of a mini-protest.

“Because I want Americans to understand or to try to think about what they can do without for the rest of the world because we are so gluttonous in so many ways,” Rushing said.

Not eating gave her time to blog. She wrote “The hunger strike was the result of a feeling of helplessness and despair, but very quickly became a meditation and a time to focus on solutions.”

“For people to realize how rich and over the top our resources are and just try to figure out a way to share them with people who don’t have the capability of getting it on their own. Think on a world stage. How can you contribute as an American?” Rushing said.

The activist said she’ll take part in the Fast for Gaza, a global campaign. It’s every Thursday from sunrise to sunset and the mission is to abstain from food in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

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