Chile holds Gaza close two years on

Digital art by @Pazconadie for Ojalá.

Opinion • Yasna Mussa • October 9, 2025 • Leer en castellano

In Chile, September is marked by the celebration of independence day and the beginning of spring. But dotted among the national symbols of Chile are those from another continent, another country, and another history. As people begin to come out from the cold to gather in public spaces under ever-changing, cloudy skies, they weave collective social life in a way that, for many, is connected to the fight for Palestine.

October 7 marked two years since Israel launched its genocide against the Palestinian people. And in response, Chileans are forming alliances, organizing concerts, marches, soup kitchens, stand-up comedy shows, raffles, discussions, book presentations, mural painting, and more.

According to official figures, Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world—a history of migration that began in the late 19th century when Palestinians sought to improve their living conditions by putting distance between themselves and the Ottoman Empire. The intertwining of ties and solidarity spans over 100 years, and has strengthened community life and exchange between Palestinians here and there.

In the wake of the global shock generated by genocide and 24 months of watching the atrocities committed by the Israeli state being livestreamed, Chileans have taken action. There have been and continue to be mass demonstrations in cities across the country. There is a key question being asked with increasing urgency: What can we do to help?

Cuisine, culture, and community

On August 22, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, which it described as “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war.”

While hunger is used as a weapon of war in Palestine, volunteers from The Palestinian Table in Chile send funds to Gaza that they raise through community meals. These are common in Chile, with a long history in the community and grassroots social organizations, but unprecedented in terms of sending aid to Palestine.

The project, which began earlier this year, is run by Mohammad Masharqa, a Palestinian doctor who immigrated to Chile in November 2024, and Claudia Eltit, a Chilean of Palestinian origin who has turned her passion for Arab cuisine into a profession.

They joined forces with the common goal of enjoying and sharing their rich and varied cuisine, while also promoting cultural unity and humanitarian aid.

“Since we held our first community meal in April 2025, we felt people were coming not only for the tasty food or artistic activities, but also out of a pressing need to support the Palestinian people,” the founders said in an interview with Ojalá. 

The Palestinian Table has 20 dedicated volunteers. Among them are folks with direct ties to the Chilean Palestinian community and others who, despite having no family connections, have joined out of empathy.

Eltit and Eduardo Asfura, an academic and fellow member of The Palestinian Table, emphasize that this cross-cultural commitment is present across sister organizations, and not just their group.

“The experience in all of these groups is that Chilean activists with no Palestinian roots are mobilized by a deep sense of human responsibility and a commitment to life, international law, and human rights,” they said. “We have seen them work tirelessly to raise awareness and condemn the genocide, support the families of Gaza, and contribute, in their own small way, to the greater project of Palestinian liberation.”

As part of its collaborative network, The Palestinian Table has established ties with the Coordinating Committee for Palestine and other groups, including Ñuñoa for a Free Palestine. As part of this solidarity effort, they have had to learn different strategies to bridge the geographical distance and get financial aid to its destination, given that Israel's blockades limit and complicate the channels for doing so.

The members of The Palestinian Table point to the Palestinian diaspora in Chile as a factor behind the public's positive response and commitment.

“We are pleasantly surprised by the response to each activity we organize: people want to take home the items we are selling, flags, keffiyehs, and symbols that represent the Palestinian cause, so as to keep it alive in their hearts and daily life,” Asfura and Eltit said.

“It’s moving to see how a simple keffiyeh touches people on the street, drawing nods and a supportive response,” they said. “This support is also reflected in the donations and active local participation each time we announce an activity, showing a genuine commitment to the struggle for a free Palestine.”

Solidarity from the South 

In Valdivia, a city over 800 kilometers south of the Chilean capital, activities in support of Palestine have been going on for more than 20 years. The Chilean-Arab Youth for Palestine in Valdivia group has collaborated consistently with other local historical institutions to report on developments in Palestine, raise funds, and, above all, educate.

“Before October 7 [2023], what Palestinians living under occupation since 1948 had asked to do was to tell their story,” said Consuelo Zerené Harcha, president of Chilean-Arab Youth for Palestine. But since the genocide started, she said, their efforts and public awareness have grown substantially.

“Now many of us consider it a factor when choosing our leaders when it comes to the presidential elections in Chile: knowing what their values are, and which side of history they are on,” she said.

After Israel intercepted and detained members of the Handala flotilla, an international group of activists attempting to break the Gaza blockade in August, a hopeful light shone in southern Chile.

“Valdivia sings for Palestine” was an initiative launched by local musicians who approached the Chilean-Arab Youth for Palestine group to offer their art in support of the people of Palestine. The result was a full day of events that packed out Valdivia's Lord Cochrane Municipal Theater. Local artists volunteered their time, and Artists for Palestine also joined in, donating artwork by different regional artists, which was sold to raise funds.

“It was very moving to see entire families, including children and older adults, filling the theater from early in the day until dark, waving Palestinian flags and with a lot of energy present,” said Zerené.

Their collective effort raised a substantial amount of money, which went to individual families in Gaza and to a trusted foundation that works directly with people in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Palestine is not just Gaza, but also the West Bank, where the Palestinian population has also been living under occupation for more than 70 years,” Zerené stressed.

What surprises Zerené most is the shift in care and commitment from people who have no Palestinian origins or direct ties, yet have voiced and increased their solidarity.

“Ordinary people, artists, even public officials contact me on my personal social media and the organization's account, and all of them want to help in some way,” she told Ojalá in an interview. “The most beautiful thing is that they often don't have a lot of money, but they still want to contribute with whatever they can.”

Finding joy in the struggle

Paloma Salas told me she doesn't have the courage to speak directly to the family of Maram, a Palestinian woman living in Gaza whose story moved her deeply. However, she has had enough empathy and courage to organize more than five stand-up comedy shows, with the proceeds going directly to Maram and other Palestinian families who have lost everything during these two years of genocide.

Salas, an comedian and actress with a growing following, has leveraged her visibility, with hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers and other platforms, to talk about Palestine on a daily basis. She speaks out, raises awareness, shares ways to help, and urges fellow comedians to join her in trying to ease, to the extent possible, the inhumane conditions Palestinians are living under.

While Israel spreads terror, fear, and sorrow, this group of comedians organizes Smiles for Gaza in a space called Comedy Bar, where they hold comedy shows and discuss the severity of what’s taking place.

Onstage, they talk about the genocide, the importance of public support, and who the aid will be sent to. The audience applauds, decked out in their keffiyehs or Palestino jerseys—the first division Chilean team founded by the Palestinian community in this corner of the world.

“There is the sad part where we talk about who received flour or water thanks to aid from the previous show,” said Salas. “But its also valuable because it brings together people who are sad to try to get out of that state a little and help.”

What began as a solo initiative, in which Salas dedicated her personal show to fundraising for the cause, turned into five collaborative performances with a dozen artists who wanted to contribute by doing what they do best: telling jokes.

Writers have also joined in, reading texts or reciting poetry on stage, offering sensitivity and tenderness as a refuge for those who, like Salas, feel powerless witnessing genocide and want to contribute in whatever way they can. Like other initiatives springing up across the country, they use their creativity and social media to their advantage, moving away from complicity and defending humanity.