UNM Health Sciences faculty and students attend silent protest for peace

About 100 people stood outside the University of New Mexico Health Sciences campus late Friday morning when a handful of people brought out a 40-foot-long piece of paper listing thousands of names of Palestinians who they say have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

The names represent people who had dreams of living a full life, event organizer Farah Alqawasmi said before asking for a moment of silence so people could read each name.

Of those advocating for a cease-fire in the overcast 40-degree morning were several UNM Health Sciences Center students, faculty members and local physician Andre Montoya-Barthelemy.

Montoya-Barthelemy said that medical professionals should consider using their influence to not only advocate for an end to the violence but to press for measures to allow humanitarian aid to be sent to the Gaza Strip, now dealing with a second month of fighting.

The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7 when the Palestinian militant group launched surprise cross-border raids from the Gaza Strip that killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel has since retaliated with an air, sea and ground campaign in Gaza.

The conflict has led to what protestors argue is a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with more than 11,000 people killed there, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah. Residents of Gaza are trapped, lacking basic supplies and with nowhere to go to escape Israel’s bombs.

In response, aid groups, Arab states, the United Nations and groups like Health Professionals for Palestine have repeatedly called for a cease-fire to allow for the delivery of food, water, medical supplies and other necessities.

The situation in the Middle East propelled UNM pharmacy student and Jewish-American Cherry Dzur not only to come to Friday’s demonstration, but to speak at the event.

“I don’t support the atrocities that are happening now,” she said, adding that as a Jewish-American, it has been difficult seeing what has been going on.

She also said that not all Jewish people are supportive of Israel’s actions.

“We have a variety of views and opinions,” she said.

UNM Health Services response

UNM HSC Students for Gaza penned a letter to the UNM community hoping the Health Sciences Center stands against the attacks on the Gaza.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to our grief and the collective grief of people in Gaza,” the letter states.

HHS Communications Director Chris Ramirez wrote in an email to the Journal late Friday afternoon that the administration is supportive of a student’s right to protest.

“We teach our students to advocate for marginalized communities and work to create a more equitable health care landscape for people in our own communities and beyond,” he wrote.

Ramirez added that leaders at UNM Health Sciences “have and continue to express strong condemnation and heartbreak for the unspeakable violent acts and violations of human rights to innocent children, women, and men, which has triggered a dramatic increase in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We continue to worry for the safety, physical health, and mental well-being of everyone in these areas, as well as those grieving and in fear around the world,” he said. “The need for humanitarian aid and access to that aid is great and we hope for safe passage for the innocent.

Silent protest on the Israel-Hamas war at UNM Health Sciences Center

“We remain concerned about increases in both antisemitism and Islamophobia, and we have been clear that we stand against religious discrimination, racism, and harmful acts against others.”