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Sophie Ní Choimín has decided to end her seven-day hunger strike for Gaza to allow for her health to recover after developing recent symptoms.
The 27-year-old originally made the extreme decision to go on a hunger strike on the 21st of May until the Occupied Territories Bill is enacted.
Speaking to District Magazine on Tuesday, she said: “It actually makes me very emotional to think that there’s children going through what I’ve put myself through willingly.”
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, she thanked the support she received through “emails, actions and demonstrations” and explained that she is going offline until she recovers but will be back.
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She said, “A chairde, I have decided to end my hunger strike tonight midnight of Day 7 to allow for my health to recover in light of the more recent symptoms I’ve developed.”
She added, “The fight for international justice and morality continues and was always way bigger than me anyway, I only hope that I can recover quickly so that I may rejoin it asap.”
“My commitment to myself was that I would take this action to put maximum pressure on the government – for as long as my health would allow it. My commitment to my family was that I would not put them through any more hurt than was completely necessary. I owe them a great debt for their trust in me.
“I had hoped that our government would take long-awaited action to end Ireland’s ongoing complicity in genocide. It shames us all that they have not done so,” she shared.
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“The light that kept me going through this was not my idealism, but ye. For every ignored email from them, I had hundreds of messages of solidarity from you. That is the part they can’t control. If you ever feel alone in your disgust- trust me- you are NOT.
“I’m going to be offline for a bit to recover – because I don’t think I can get well while continuing to watch this genocide daily. But I will be back, and I will watch, and I will act. My solace comes from knowing there are so many of you to keep the fight going until I am back”, she explained.
“Thank you for your emails, actions, and demonstrations. It disturbs me deeply to know that the current government would rather let any of us starve ourselves on a diet of salt and water before they would consider even hearing our political grievances. Especially so, when that government (now) openly acknowledges that genocide is at play.”
She finished her post by saying: “Our leaders could do with learning from ye, and it is my opinion that ye represent Ireland’s actual values far better than this government ever will. Coimead súil ar a chéile, Beir bua, Saoirse don Phalaistín, – Sophie Ní Choimín.”
Words by Nikita Hall