Around the world in a Free Palestine hoodie

"Earlier this month, my mother and I took the train from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to the city of Bukhara, two and a half hours away. While I was waiting in line for the toilet, an Uzbek train attendant approached to express his delight at the hoodie I was wearing, which is black with a Palestinian flag and the words Free Palestine in both English and Arabic. During our ensuing conversation in modified English, the young man advised me to steer clear of Wagon Seven of the train, as it was full of Israeli tourists."

"He proceeded to wonder how people could live with themselves while their government was slaughtering children en masse. Indeed, of the more than 65,000 Palestinians Israel has officially killed in less than two years in the Gaza Strip likely a severe underestimate nearly 20,000 have been children. This is to say nothing of the countless kids who have been permanently maimed, mutilated and traumatised."

A black hoodie bearing a Palestinian flag and the words Free Palestine drew overt expressions of solidarity across multiple countries. An Uzbek train attendant requested reassignment to avoid Israeli tourists and condemned what he described as mass killing of children. Official counts exceed 65,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza in less than two years, with nearly 20,000 children among them, alongside widespread maiming and trauma. In Istanbul, travelers and a security guard responded positively to visible support for Palestine. The United States' strong backing of Israel has harmed its international reputation.

Read at www.aljazeera.com