Gaza Youth Committee
Professional services
UnclaimedA Gaza-based peace activism organization that connects young Palestinians, Israelis, and international participants through dialogue and non-violent civic initiatives.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Gaza Youth Committee is a peace activism organization based in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 2010 by Rami Aman, it focuses on youth participation, non-violent civic engagement, and direct interpersonal contact between Palestinians and Israelis. The group emerged in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the restrictions affecting movement, communication, and daily life in Gaza. Its stated objectives include supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict and ending the Israeli siege on Gaza. Rather than operating primarily through formal political negotiations, the committee has emphasized grassroots contact and public-facing activities. Its work has included non-violence training, correspondence with international activists, and efforts to build relationships among residents of Gaza, Israelis, Palestinians in the West Bank, and people abroad. The organization became particularly associated with digital dialogue, using online platforms to enable conversations that would otherwise be difficult or impossible because of geographic separation and movement restrictions. In 2015, the committee launched “Skype with your Enemy,” an initiative that brought Palestinians and Israelis together in joint online calls. Participants discussed their personal experiences and the realities of life in Gaza and Israel. The format was later adapted for conversations between Gaza residents and American citizens during Ramadan in 2018 and 2019. These initiatives presented communication itself as a peacebuilding tool and sought to humanize people on opposing sides of the conflict. The committee has also organized symbolic and participatory public events. In 2018, it held a demonstration in which 200 doves carrying peace messages were released. In 2019, it streamed an alternative Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony from Tel Aviv into the Gaza Strip. The ceremony was organized by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Family Forum and Combatants for Peace. Later that year, the committee organized “Peace and Freedom” cycling and foot races intended to include Palestinian and Israeli participants. Its activities have also exposed members to political and legal pressure. Rami Aman was arrested in March 2019 after a “Skype with your Enemy” call and was released shortly afterward. Following the 2019 “Peace and Freedom” event, three committee members were arrested and charged with “normalization,” a term used in this context for prohibited or politically condemned contact with Israelis. In 2020, Aman, Manar al-Sharif, and another committee member were arrested after a Zoom call involving Palestinians and Israelis. These incidents illustrate the contested environment in which the organization operates. As of 2019, the committee was reported to have more than 200 members. It is listed as a member of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Publicly available reference material does not establish its present operating status, current leadership beyond its founder, funding model, or a formal corporate structure. It is therefore best understood as a civil-society and peacebuilding organization rather than a commercial brand.
History
The Gaza Youth Committee was founded in 2010 by Rami Aman in the Gaza Strip as a peace activism organization focused on youth engagement and non-violent approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its stated aims are to support a peaceful resolution of the conflict and advocate an end to the Israeli siege on Gaza. The committee’s work has combined local civic activity with efforts to establish direct relationships between people in Gaza and people in Israel, the West Bank, the United States, and other international communities. A central feature of its approach has been communication across political and geographic divisions. The organization has conducted non-violence training and encouraged correspondence between local participants and activists abroad. It also attempted to strengthen ties between Gaza and the West Bank, where movement restrictions and political divisions have made ordinary social contact difficult. In 2015, the committee began “Skype with your Enemy,” a series of joint online conversations involving Palestinians and Israelis. These calls gave participants an opportunity to describe their experiences and discuss everyday life in Gaza and Israel. The initiative was later used for conversations between Gaza residents and Americans during Ramadan in 2018 and 2019. The group’s online work was significant because digital communication offered a practical way to connect people separated by borders, checkpoints, and restrictions on movement. The committee also used public events and symbolic actions to promote peace. In 2018, it organized a demonstration featuring the release of 200 doves, each carrying a peace message. On Yom HaZikaron in 2019, it streamed an alternative memorial ceremony from Tel Aviv into Gaza. The ceremony had been organized by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Family Forum and Combatants for Peace. In June 2019, the committee organized “Peace and Freedom,” a cycling and running event open to Palestinian and Israeli participants. These activities took place within a highly contested political environment. Aman was arrested in March 2019 after one of the group’s online dialogue calls and was later released. Three members were arrested after the 2019 sporting event and charged with “normalization,” referring to contact with Israelis that Palestinian authorities or political actors may regard as impermissible. In 2020, Aman, Manar al-Sharif, and another member were arrested after another online conversation between Palestinians and Israelis, this time conducted through Zoom. The committee was reported to have more than 200 members in 2019 and is identified as a member of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of its funding, legal registration, current programs, or present-day leadership. Its latest clearly documented activities in the supplied material date from 2020, so its current status remains uncertain.
- 2020
Zoom dialogue followed by arrests
[1]Rami Aman, Manar al-Sharif, and another committee member were arrested after a Zoom call involving Palestinians and Israelis.
- 2019
Alternative Memorial Ceremony streamed into Gaza
[1]The committee streamed a Tel Aviv memorial event organized by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Family Forum and Combatants for Peace to viewers in Gaza.
- 2019
Peace and Freedom event
[1]The committee organized cycling and foot races intended to include Palestinian and Israeli participants.
- 2019
Membership reported above 200
[1]Reference material reported that the committee had more than 200 members.
- 2018
Peace-dove demonstration
[1]The organization held a demonstration at which 200 doves carrying peace messages were released.
- 2018
Ramadan calls with Americans
[1]The committee organized online conversations between Gaza residents and American citizens during Ramadan.
- 2015
Launch of Skype with your Enemy
[1]The committee began hosting online conference calls that brought Palestinians and Israelis together to discuss their experiences and daily realities.
- 2010
Organization founded
[1]Rami Aman founded the Gaza Youth Committee as a Gaza-based peace activism organization.
Products and positioning
Grassroots, youth-led peace activism centered on non-violence, dialogue, and direct contact among Palestinians, Israelis, and international participants.
Peace dialogue program · 2015
Skype with your Enemy
An online dialogue initiative launched in 2015. The Gaza Youth Committee hosted joint calls involving Palestinians and Israelis, enabling participants to discuss personal experiences and the practical realities of life on both sides of the conflict. The program later informed related online exchanges with American citizens during Ramadan.
Civic education
Non-violence training
Training activities intended to support non-violent civic participation and peace activism. The supplied reference material does not specify the curriculum, delivery model, or current availability.
Public peace event · 2019
Peace and Freedom
A 2019 cycling and foot-race event organized by the committee and designed to be open to Palestinian and Israeli participants. The event combined physical participation with the organization’s broader message of cross-community contact and freedom.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Alternative Memorial Ceremony broadcast
Gaza Strip · Israel
On Yom HaZikaron, the committee streamed an alternative memorial ceremony held in Tel Aviv into the Gaza Strip.
Outcome. The broadcast connected Gaza viewers with a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial initiative.
- 2019Peace and Freedom
Gaza Strip · Israel
The committee organized cycling and foot races open to Palestinian and Israeli participants.
Outcome. Three committee members were arrested after the event and charged with “normalization.”
- 2018Ramadan online dialogues
Gaza Strip · United States
The organization facilitated Skype conversations between residents of Gaza and American citizens during Ramadan.
Outcome. The calls extended the committee’s digital dialogue model beyond Palestinian-Israeli exchanges.
- 2018200 Doves for Peace
Gaza Strip
A public demonstration released 200 doves, each carrying a message of peace.
Outcome. The event served as a symbolic public expression of the organization’s non-violent peace message.
- 2015Skype with your Enemy
Gaza Strip · Israel
The committee hosted joint online calls between Palestinians and Israelis to discuss everyday life, personal experiences, and the conflict.
Outcome. The initiative became the committee’s best-known dialogue activity and was later followed by arrests of participants and organizers.
Brand decisions
2019
Streaming of the Alternative Memorial CeremonyOtherBackground
The committee sought to expose Gaza audiences to an Israeli-Palestinian memorial initiative taking place in Tel Aviv.
Action taken
It streamed the ceremony organized by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Family Forum and Combatants for Peace into the Gaza Strip.
Aftermath
The broadcast represented an effort to use digital media to support cross-community recognition and dialogue.
2015
Adoption of online cross-conflict dialogueStrategyBackground
Movement restrictions and the political division between Palestinians and Israelis made direct in-person contact difficult.
Action taken
The committee introduced Skype-based joint calls as a recurring peacebuilding and relationship-building activity.
Aftermath
The model was later used for exchanges with American citizens and became closely associated with the organization.
Sources1 sources
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