Meet the American military veterans fasting for Gaza

Joy Metzler was a second lieutenant in the US Air Force when Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in protest against the US's role in Israel's war on Gaza.

The 23-year-old Metzler was so moved by Bushnell's sacrifice in February 2024 that she began researching Palestine.

Horrified by Israel's occupation and US backing for what international human rights groups, experts and several countries now qualify as an act of genocide in Gaza, she became a conscientious objector to the war, choosing to leave the air force in August 2024. 

Her application to be excused from the air force was approved in April 2025.

With death and destruction continuing to envelope Gaza through relentless bombardment and an aid blockade triggering starvation, Metzler continued to organise and look for new ways to advocate for an end to the war.

So when Veterans for Peace and Friends of Sabeel North America decided to launch a fast for Gaza outside the US Mission at the United Nations in New York City on 22 May, Metzler immediately got involved.

Read more: Meet the American military veterans fasting for Gaza