Darshdeep Grewal

The encampment was one of over 140 pro-Hamas and anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 more globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University. The encampments were unofficially known as the “student intifada,” borrowing a term associated with terrorist violence.

Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.

For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist and entrepreneur who was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. One of the messages written on the bullet casing used to assassinate Kirk read: "Hey, fascist. Catch!"

Hamas took 251 people hostage, mostly civilians, from Israel during its October 7, 2023 terror attacks. Ultimately 168 hostages returned to Israel alive, in three different agreements between 2023 and 2025, and through rescue operations by the IDF. During captivity, many hostages were starved, tortured, sexually assaulted, psychologically abused and held isolated in cages and underground tunnels.

Hostages were given tranquilizers and some were overfed shortly before their release, so they would appear in better condition than they had been during captivity. Hamas forced hostages to record propaganda videos during captivity, and during hostages' releases held public ceremonies and forced hostages to smile and wave at their captors.

The hostages' ages spanned from 85 year old Holocaust survivor Shlomo Mantzur, who was killed on October 7, to a 9 month old baby, Kfir Bibas, who was killed in captivity along with his 4 year old brother Ariel, and their mother, Shiri. 75 hostages were killed on October 7 or in captivity.