Monsoon on the Oct. 7 Vigil for Palestinian Martyrs

Heba Khan and Sahasra Nandela

On Oct. 7, 2026, UNC Students for Justice in Palestine held a vigil for Palestinian martyrs who have lost their lives since Oct. 7, 2023, during Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza. This event took place at the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower in collaboration with the Muslim Student Association's One Voice for Gaza event, which featured a full evening of activities that included educational speakers and tabling. 

The vigil portion of the event featured volunteers who read poems written by Palestinians and the recorded names of people who have lost their lives, a list that they barely made a dent in. The first names read aloud belonged to children who never reached their first birthday. The readers then switched to reading names of people closer to the age of the students gathered at the vigil, Palestinian teenagers and young adults whose lives were cut short, who never had the chance to go to college.

At the Bell Tower steps was a banner that read, “Oh rascal children of Gaza, you are the birds of paradise,” along with flowers, candles, and paper birds. These paper birds were printed with the Palestinian pattern, Hatta. There are three components to the kefiyyeh/hatta pattern: the long stripes on the edge, symbolizing historical trade routes; the fishnet pattern symbolizing the trade ties across the Mediterranean Sea; and finally, the long, curved lines representing olive trees, which have become a symbol of hope and resistance. 

An attendee of the event, Adam from the North Carolina chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, said his organization's reason for participating was to bring awareness to the amount of funding and unconditional support that the United States gives to Israel, directly contributing to and participating in the genocide of the people of Gaza.

“We are Americans, we are a part of the system, we are citizens of the United States," he said. "And we do have a say in what our money does and what our government does. So our goal is to bring the community together, to bring our voice to one big voice, and to demand what we want, and demand an end to the US support of the genocidal Zionist state.”

A member of UNC Students for Justice in Palestine said the purpose of the event contributed to SJP's larger purpose of continuing to bring attention to Palestine, but the vigil itself was meant to commemorate those who have been lost in a way that brings people together. 

"We're doing advocacy for Palestine, but I think we also want to build community and awareness, so it's a combination of things, really,” they said.

The "One Voice for Gaza" event demonstrates continued efforts for student advocacy at UNC, as campus organizations and students came together to honor the devastation and suffering that has been wrought upon the people of Gaza. Even though it has been three years since the genocide began, these students have shown that they are determined not to let Palestine and its people be forgotten.