Stanford students vow to continue weeks-long protest until the prestigious US university divests from Israel and condemns Israeli war crimes in Gaza and occupied territories.

It started off with one person. Within hours it became a community.

For the past 27 days, more than two dozen students at Stanford University have been staging a sleep-in protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who have faced weeks of relentless Israeli air strikes.

The students made up of different nationalities and backgrounds, have been living in a small encampment made up of several tents in one of the main university quads.

Speaking to Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity due to fears of facing harsh reprisals for speaking out, the students said they would not end their sit-in until the university divested from and boycotted Israeli ventures and academic institutions, and condemned Israel over its occupation of the Palestinian territories.