Sheffield woman on Palestine war hunger strike says her pain is 'not even a portion' of suffering in Gaza

By the fifth day of her hunger strike against the war in Palestine, Lena Mussa has turned frighteningly pale.

Her camp outside Sheffield Town Hall is well-tended, made from a double tent bundled with warm blankets and surrounded by camping chairs. An art exhibit made to look like rows of children's funeral shrouds and rubble is laid out on the pavement.

A crew of 150 volunteers work in shifts to bring Lena fresh hot water bottles, tea and foot warmers to fight off the biting cold. But this late into the protest, many seem concerned that she now stays seated as much as possible.

"It's so freezing cold and wet and rainy," said Lena, 52.

"We used our annual leave to be here and do this. We hope this experience resonates long after we have finished."

Lena, an immigration lawyer, has been joined by Sahar Awadullah, a GP from Rotherham. Sahar isn't fasting, but the two women have slept out in the tent on Pinstone Street every night since Lena's hunger strike began on January 5. It will be a long two days until it finishes at a rally on Saturday, January 13.

Their group - the Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israel Apartheid - is calling for an immediate ceasefire, for Sheffield to be declared 'an Israeli Apartheid Free City', and for a political solution in war-torn Gaza, which has been consumed by the deadliest months of fighting seen in the decades-old conflict following an unprecedented assault on Israel by Hamas gunmen on October 7. The BBC reports 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages were taken.

Since the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) response, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza - 70 per cent of whom are believed to be women and children - and over 59,000 have been wounded. Two million people have been displaced or fled their homes. Estimates in November say more than 60 per cent of houses in Gaza have been destroyed.

On January 11, the International Court of Justice began hearings where South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide. Genocide cases can take years to resolve.

The Sheffield town hall clocktower chimes 4pm, and it's getting dark. On any normal day, Lena and Sahar say they would be winding up their shifts at work, going home to their families, eating dinner - then trying again and again to call loved ones and families in Gaza.

Lena said: "It's so frustrating. We feel it in our bones when we call and call and call trying to reach through to them and not getting there."

"It's so hard to have on your mind all day," said Sahar. "There were three days where we lost all communications. We didn't know anything about what was happening during that time.

"You know you are trying to reach people who have left their houses and everything behind hoping they will be coming back one day."

Normally, Lena and Sahar must put these thoughts to one side to get through their working days. But for the five days they have been at the camp - which for one of them has involved no food at all - it occupies their mind at all times.

"You feel so guilty," says Lena. "The guilt of knowing you are safe. You know you will finish up here at the end of the week and go home - and they will not.

"Every time I complain and say it's cold, Sahar says 'what about Gaza'. And if she says she wishes she was home, I say 'at least you know you can go home.'

"This is not even a portion of what they are going through in Gaza."

While The Star was speaking to Lena and Sahar, around 15 volunteers sat on their own camping chairs nearby. A handful of them - from the Sheffield Creative Action for Peace group - have just finished a handsewn banner calling for a ceasefire and are hanging it on the town hall entrance's balustrade.

Lena and Sahar have had 150 volunteers supporting them through the strike. Working on a rota, they take shifts of four hours to be at the campsite. During the day, they speak to visiting members of the public so the two women are not exhausted fielding questions, while also lifting their spirits where they can. Then, throughout the night, they are there for safety so Lena and Sahar can try and sleep soundly.

Visitors during the protest have included the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, Church of England priests, MP Paul Blomfield, and Sheffield Jews Against Israeli Apartheid - as well as performances by Sheffield Street Band and a Samba group to liven up camp.

One volunteer, Catherine Gaze, said: "It's been amazing to see these two women's resilience.

"When I come to the end of a shift, I can go home and go to bed and eat. But I think about them 24/7. It's no joke being so cold and not eating.

"I've been to Palestine several times and their people are resilience personified.

"Houses and hospitals are being destroyed. People are being made into refugees. I don't agree with any of the arguments against calling a ceasefire now. It's got to stop. It will not be dealt with by killing thousands and thousands of people."

Sahar said: "We have felt such solidarity and love from people here taking care of us. It means so much to know, as we sleep, there is someone out here if we need them. The sense of security is overwhelming."

The hunger strike will end at a planned rally on Saturday morning (January 13). There has been no formal response to the week-long protest, and neither the UK or US Government have publicly supported a ceasefire. But Lena and Sahar say it has been worth it just to speak to people on the street.

"People are angry," said Lena. "They feel angry and handcuffed. People have told us how they feel helpless and powerless to make a difference. They are angry at the silence of the Government. They have no way to express their anger at all.

"We should add pressure on the Government, on our MPs, and on Parliament - until we get a just solution."

At the time of the interview on January 11, Lena couldn't have known just a few hours later the US and UK would launch airstrikes on more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The group is sympathetic to Hamas and has called Israel "the enemy", and the Guardian reports how it has been carrying out a campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since October 7. Houthi officials say the strikes "won't go unanswered".